University admission in Spain with people who studied there

This is where the most common and most expensive mistake sits. A stay authorisation for the purpose of study under Royal Decree 557/2011 does not equate to resident status. Obtaining a student visa does not move you into the "resident" price band or reduce your tuition.

That is exactly what disappoints many applicants, who assume that once they have moved they will pay local rates. Budget on the non-resident, non-EU rate.

The national scholarship line is MAEC-AECID, administered by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is an umbrella of programmes for students from partner countries, largely taught in Spanish. We have no confirmed current deadline, so we publish none — check the official site.

Spanish remains the main language of instruction; English-taught programmes exist but are noticeably fewer than in, say, Poland or the Netherlands. For stays over 90 days you apply for a student visa (estancia por estudios).

In Spain the most useful work is honest budgeting: which region to study in, which price band you actually fall into, and what it will really cost — rather than averaged figures from the internet.

Write to us if you are considering Spain and we will work through your case for a specific region and university.