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.
