Studying in Spain: the honest guide for students and parents

Spain offers a low cost of living by Western European standards, an easy climate, a student visa that permits 30 hours a week of work, and a 24-month job-search permit after graduation. It also teaches almost entirely in Spanish (and Catalan in Catalonia) at public universities, routes non-EU school-leavers through credential homologation and a national exam body, and has very little scholarship money for non-EU undergraduates. Here is the full picture, in euros, as it stands in August 2026.

10 min read - Grades 11-12 - Updated August 2026

In short

Public universities teach almost entirely in Spanish (and Catalan in Catalonia); most English-taught bachelor's degrees are at private universities.
From an Indian board, a public university runs through homologacion and UNEDasiss, with PCE exams in late May or September.
The student visa allows up to 30 hours a week of work, and graduates can get a 24-month job-search permit.

How education works there

The Spanish undergraduate degree is the grado: four years and 240 ECTS credits for most subjects, with architecture, medicine and a few others running longer. Master's degrees (master universitario) are one to two years. It sits on the Bologna framework and is recognised across the EU.

There are two kinds of institution. Public universities are the large majority and are cheap for EU students, mostly Spanish-taught, and run on per-credit fees set by each autonomous region. Private universities, concentrated in Madrid, Barcelona and Navarra, are smaller, charge full tuition, and are where most English-taught bachelor's degrees and most Indian undergraduates end up. Check that the degree is an official title (titulo oficial), not only a private diploma (titulo propio).

Language: at public universities, Spanish is the language of instruction, and in Catalonia a large share of teaching is in Catalan. English-taught grados are a small minority at public universities and common at private ones. Public universities typically ask for B2 Spanish (DELE or SIELE) for Spanish-taught degrees.

Grading is out of 10: 5 passes, 7 to 8.9 is notable, 9 and above is sobresaliente. Public universities are lecture-based with large first-year groups, exams in January and June, and a resit session that is a normal part of student life. Private universities are smaller and closer to a school model.

How admissions actually work

Spanish and EU school-leavers enter public universities on a numeric admission mark built from their school average and the national entrance exam, against a published cut-off per degree. No essays, no interviews.

For an Indian board or IB student applying to a public university, the route runs through UNEDasiss, the international admissions service of the national distance university UNED. Its student-types page states that students from non-EU systems must obtain homologacion of their secondary studies to the Spanish Bachillerato, obtain the UNEDasiss accreditation with a Calificacion de Acceso (your grades converted to the Spanish scale), and take PCE subject exams, with a minimum of four subjects recommended. The homologacion is a separate, slow application to the Ministry of Education; start it as early as Grade 11 results allow. UNEDasiss's key-dates page gives, for 2026: the accreditation window open from 4 February to 1 December; PCE registration 16 March to 28 April for exams held 25 to 29 May, and 1 to 22 July for exams held 2 to 8 September; a deadline of 7 July 2026 for admission requests to public universities, with documentation accepted until 31 July even if the accreditation has not yet been issued.

The PCE exams are in Spanish and can be sat at UNED centres in Spain and some abroad.

Private universities are simpler: apply directly with school results, an English or Spanish test and a passport, rolling from October of Grade 12. Many still require the homologacion before enrolment, so the ministry application is not optional even on the private route.

One intake, September. Timeline in months: shortlist by September of Grade 12 and decide public (Spanish) or private; start the homologacion and UNEDasiss files in February; private applications October to April; PCE exams in late May, or September as a fallback; public admission request by 7 July; visa June to August, allowing five to eight weeks; arrive in September.

What it costs

Public university fees are set by each autonomous region as a price per ECTS credit, multiplied by the 60 credits of a full year, and rising for repeat enrolments in the same subject. Regions may set a higher per-credit price for non-EU students, and several do. We could not load the ministry's price tables while writing this guide, so take the figure from the regional decree or the university's fee page for your degree and passport. As orientation, a public grado typically costs a non-EU student a low four-figure euro sum a year.

Private universities publish full tuition: English-taught bachelor's typically run from the low teens to above EUR 20,000 a year, and medicine and dentistry well above that. Get the four-year total in writing.

Living costs are Spain's real advantage. Typical all-in student budgets are around EUR 900 to 1,400 a month in Madrid and Barcelona and EUR 700 to 1,000 in Valencia, Seville, Granada, Salamanca and the other regional university cities, with a room in a shared flat as the largest line: typically EUR 400 to 700 in the two big cities and EUR 250 to 450 elsewhere. These are orientation ranges; the university housing office will have current figures.

What families forget: the visa proof of funds (EUR 600 a month of stay for 2025 per the consulate page, see below); a private health insurance policy with no co-payments, which must be bought before the visa and renewed every year; the homologacion and UNEDasiss fees; the apostilled and sworn-translated documents, which add up quickly; a deposit of one to two months on a flat; the TIE card fee on arrival.

Scholarships and aid, honestly

There is very little for a non-EU undergraduate. The national need-based becas are for Spanish and EU residents, and regional grants follow the same pattern. Private universities offer merit scholarships to internationals, typically 10 to 30 percent fee reductions. At master's and doctoral level there are more options, including Erasmus Mundus joint master's.

The honest framing: choose Spain because public fees are low or because the private fee is affordable, not because you expect aid. If a large scholarship is essential, Germany's tuition-free public system is the comparison to make.

The student visa and working while you study

Indian students need a national student visa for any stay over 90 days, applied for at the Spanish consulate for their region after receiving the acceptance letter. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular student-visa page (https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/sanfrancisco/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Visado-de-estudios.aspx, the San Francisco consulate's version of the standard national page) lists as of August 2026: the application form; a passport valid for at least a year; the acceptance letter from the institution; proof of paid enrolment fees; a health insurance certificate with minimum EUR 30,000 coverage and 'no deductibles, no copays, no waiting periods', starting at least a month before the course; a medical certificate issued within three months; a criminal record certificate, apostilled and translated, for stays over 180 days; and proof of funds of 100 percent of the IPREM, which the page gives as EUR 600 per month of stay for 2025, with 75 percent added for a first accompanying family member and 50 percent for each further one. Prepaid accommodation can be deducted. The page gives a processing time of five to eight weeks. The requirements are national but formats vary by post; read the Indian consulate's own page.

Once in Spain, the Ministry of Inclusion's study-stay sheet (https://www.inclusion.gob.es/en/web/migraciones/w/estancia-por-estudios) states that for stays over six months you must personally apply for the foreigner identity card, the TIE, within one month of entry, that the authorisation for higher education covers the full duration of the studies, that it can be extended twice on proof of continuing study, and that accompanying family members are not authorised to work.

Working: the Ministry's work-access sheet for study-stay holders (https://www.inclusion.gob.es/en/web/migraciones/w/hoja-4-bis-acceso-al-empleo-de-las-personas-titulares-de-una-autorizacion-de-estancia-de-larga-duracion-por-estudios-movilidad-de-alumnos-servicios-de-voluntariado-o-actividades-formativas) states that higher-education students are authorised to work as employees or self-employed 'automatically and without the need for an additional procedure', that the work must be compatible with the studies and not exceed 30 hours a week, and that it is limited to one autonomous community. Thirty hours is generous by European standards; in practice student jobs need Spanish, so treat it as a living-cost supplement.

What life is like

Housing: most students live in shared flats (pisos compartidos) found through the university housing service or rental portals, and the market is tight in Madrid and Barcelona in September. University residences (colegios mayores) are the structured option, often with meals; they fill early. Deposits of one to two months are standard; never pay one for a flat nobody you trust has seen. Landlords rarely demand a guarantor from students, unlike France.

Cities: Madrid is the largest student market and expensive by Spanish standards. Barcelona is international, coastal and Catalan-speaking in daily life; budget for both Catalan in the classroom and higher rent. Valencia is the value option for a big coastal city; Granada and Salamanca are classic, cheap university towns.

Transport: every city has a student transit pass, intercity trains and buses are cheap, and no university city needs a car. Food is inexpensive and eating out is affordable; vegetarian eating takes a little work outside the big cities, where jamon is in everything, but Indian groceries are easy to find in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Weather is the draw: long dry summers, mild coastal winters, cold dry winters in Madrid, real rain in the north.

Daily rhythm is late: lunch at two, dinner at nine or later. Spanish is the language of daily life everywhere, and English levels in shops, offices and among landlords are lower than in Northern Europe. Arrive with A2 Spanish at least; B1 is the difference between a life in Spain and a life inside the international bubble.

Safety is high, with pickpocketing in Barcelona and central Madrid the main real risk. Healthcare: non-EU students are not in the public system by default, which is why the visa requires full private insurance; that policy is your healthcare, so pick one with a real network in your city. Community: Indian student numbers are growing fastest at private universities in Madrid and Barcelona, and Indian student associations exist at the larger institutions.

After you graduate

The post-study route is the residence authorisation for job search or a business project. The Ministry of Inclusion's sheet 20 (https://www.inclusion.gob.es/en/web/migraciones/w/20.-autorizacion-de-residencia-para-busqueda-de-empleo-o-inicio-de-proyecto-empresarial) states as of August 2026 that it is open to former study-stay holders who completed a qualification at level 6 or above of the European Qualifications Framework (a university degree) at an authorised Spanish institution; that it lasts 24 months and cannot be extended; that you apply in the 60 days before your study authorisation expires or within 90 days after; that you must show 100 percent of the IPREM a month (50 percent if accommodation is prepaid) and hold health insurance; and, critically, that 'you are not authorized to work' on it. When you find a job you switch to a work-based authorisation.

Spanish is close to non-negotiable in the graduate job market outside tech and a few international firms. What the 24 months converts into depends on the language you arrive with.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Suits: students with, or committed to reaching, B2 Spanish who want a low-fee public grado and a low cost of living, and families who can fund roughly EUR 9,000 to 14,000 a year of living costs.
Suits: students choosing an English-taught business, engineering, hospitality or design grado at an accredited private university, at fees comparable with the Netherlands, who value the climate, the culture and the 30-hour work rule.
Suits: students who like a warm, social student life and can handle the loose structure of a public university.
Does not suit: students who need aid at bachelor's level; there is very little for non-EU undergraduates.
Does not suit: students who want an English-only life; daily administration, housing and most work run in Spanish, and Catalan is real in Barcelona classrooms.
Does not suit: families who want a short, tightly managed degree; the grado is four years, resits are normal, and the public admissions route runs through homologacion and PCE exams that reward early planning.

Common questions

Do I need to homologate my Indian school certificate?

For a public university, yes: UNEDasiss says students from non-EU systems must obtain homologacion of their secondary studies to the Spanish Bachillerato, plus the UNEDasiss accreditation and PCE exams. Many private universities ask for it too. Start it as early as your Grade 11 results allow.

Can I study in English in Spain?

Yes, mostly at private universities and in a small number of public grados in business and engineering. Public universities teach in Spanish and, in Catalonia, in Catalan.

How much are public university fees for a non-EU student?

They are set per credit by each region, and some regions charge non-EU students a higher rate. Read the regional decree or the university fee page for your degree and passport; typically a low four-figure euro sum a year for a Spanish-taught grado.

What does the visa require?

Per the Foreign Ministry's consular page: acceptance letter, paid enrolment, private insurance with no co-payments and at least EUR 30,000 cover, a medical certificate, a criminal record certificate for stays over 180 days, and proof of funds of 100 percent of the IPREM, EUR 600 a month of stay for 2025. Apply for the TIE within a month of arriving.

Can I work while studying?

Yes. Higher-education students on a study stay are authorised to work automatically, up to 30 hours a week and compatible with the studies, per the Ministry of Inclusion. Jobs need Spanish.

Can I stay after graduating?

Graduates can get a 24-month, non-extendable residence authorisation to look for work or start a business, per the Ministry of Inclusion. It does not itself permit work; you switch to a work authorisation once hired.

Sources

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