What is this agreement about?
This agreement ensures mutual and direct recognition of UK and
Spanish qualifications, allowing students of both education
systems to access our respective universities more easily.
Students studying in the British education system with UK
qualifications (including A-levels and other qualifications) can
access universities in Spain under the same conditions as
students from Member States of the European Union. Additional
entry requirements will only be necessary for certain competitive
courses, as was the case in many regions prior to the UK’s
withdrawal from the EU.
Students from the Spanish education system can continue to access
UK universities and other higher education institutions with
additional legal certainty that their Spanish Baccalaureate
qualification results will be recognised.
The agreement also establishes a framework to increase
cooperation between the UK and Spain in the field of education
and underlines our shared ambition to strengthen existing
education links.
How does it work in practice in
Spain?
Students who study UK qualifications and who wish to study in a
Spanish university will follow the same procedures as they did
before the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. They will not have
to sit the so-called ‘general or mandatory part’ of the Spanish
university entrance exam, as they can use the results from the UK
qualifications via the direct access route this agreement
provides.
UNEDAsiss manage access into
Spanish universities for students from outside the Spanish
education system. Results obtained from UK qualifications
will be converted following a previously agreed conversion table,
which has been established in consultation with the UK UCAS
system. A-levels and equivalent British qualifications will
count for up to 10 points under the Spanish university entry
system. With regards access to certain competitive courses,
students will have to sit the so-called ‘specific or voluntary
part’ of the university entrance exam, as was the case before the
UK’s withdrawal from the EU in some autonomous communities of
Spain. It will no longer be possible to validate or replace the
‘specific part’ exam with a student’s ‘A level’ or other UK exam
results.
For further information please contact education@britishcouncil.org and
/or unedasiss@adm.uned.es .
Do I need to legalise my exam results with the Hague’s
Apostille or validate (homologate) my results?
The UK does not require the validation (homologation) of
certificates of the Spanish Baccalaureate when accessing
university. In general terms, UK universities do not require the
Hague’s Apostille on such certification documents, though there
may exist exceptional cases.
In Spain, under this agreement, when applications for access to
university are submitted through UNEDAsiss, neither the process
of homologation nor the Hague’s Apostille are required. This
is the case for the vast number of applications. The
Hague’s Apostille will only be required when students decide to
apply to university under the homologation route. In these
cases, students need to obtain the Apostille first and the full
homologation at a later stage.
We recommend that students and schools check any additional
requirements directly with universities. For further
information please contact UNEDAsiss unedasiss@adm.uned.es
Does the agreement include the mutual recognition of
university degrees and/or professional qualifications?
No, this agreement is about the mutual recognition of
qualifications which allow access to undergraduate courses at
universities (and in some cases other higher education studies)
in the UK and Spain. Recognition of university degrees and
professional qualifications are outside the scope of this
agreement.
Can Spanish students continue to access to UK
universities, as was the case before EU Exit?
Yes, under this agreement Spanish Baccalaureate results will
continue to be recognised, enabling Spanish students to
access UK universities. The entry requirements for universities
and higher education institutions vary from course to course (as
is the case in Spain) but recognition of the qualifications
required for access to undergraduate courses is guaranteed by
this agreement.
Is the text of the Agreement public?
The agreement entered into force on 2 August 2023 and can be
found in English
here and in Spanish here
.
Does this affect students of any nationality?
Yes, this is about recognition of the qualifications and
‘títulos’ in the British and Spanish education systems,
regardless of the nationality of the students.
What other bilateral co-operation does the agreement
entail?
The agreement sets out the shared ambition of the UK and Spain to
explore new initiatives in the field of education cooperation,
including areas related to dual degree systems, the teaching of
our respective languages and face-to-face, online and/or hybrid
training.
