Your bookmarked countries have an update since your last login. View Bookmarks x

Latest Country Updates
Jul 30, 2024

This is what the new Spain university entrance exam will look like starting in June 2025

The Government approved the royal decree that will now regulate the University Entrance Examination (PAU), a new model that specifies the basic characteristics of the tests, regulates common parameters for evaluation and objective criteria for correction and grading.

Learn more »

Jul 23, 2024

Normality in León and Ponferrada on the first day of a transitional EBAU

The León and Ponferrada campuses hosted the start of the EBAU (University Access Baccalaureate Assessment) tests, which are taking place normally, with some nerves just minutes before the start of the first test of the morning.

Learn more »

Jul 8, 2024

The optional subject on the European Union taught in C-LM high school will be extended to 4th year of ESO next year

The Governing Council of Castilla-La Mancha has approved the extension and adaptation in the fourth year of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) of the optional subject included in the Baccalaureate study plan on the European Union.

Learn more »

Jun 10, 2024

Selectivity 2025: presentation, coherence and grammatical errors will account for 10% of the grade

Coherence, cohesion, presentation and grammatical, lexical and spelling correctness will account for 10% of the grade of the new Ebau of 2025 and there will be a single exercise model for each subject.

Learn more »

May 31, 2024

The Celaá Law forces us to change dates, contents and questions of EBAU

Students who appear in June will know their grades on the 14th while those who do so in July will have to wait until the 9th.

Learn more »

May 28, 2024

History and Philosophy will not increase their grade in the EBAU selectivity test

Andalusian students will not be able to use their grade in the History of Spain and History of Philosophy exam to raise their selectivity grade in the admission phase (which was previously known as the specific phase and which serves to raise it from a 10 to a 14).

Learn more »

May 28, 2024

The 'batxibac' or 'bachibac', a bachelor's degree that is on the rise: it gives a double degree that allows you to study in more universities

Thanks to an agreement between the Government of Spain and France, there is a bachelor's degree that combines degrees from both countries and is fashionable in Catalonia.

Learn more »

May 22, 2024

Dates of the EBAU 2024 in Catalonia, Madrid and the rest of the communities

The Baccalaureate students of Madrid and La Rioja will be the first to face the university entrance test this summer, on June 3, probably the last year in which the current exam will remain in force before turning towards its gradual transformation.

Learn more »

Mar 27, 2024

Spain Government expands the school reinforcement plan to FP and Baccalaureate

The Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría, announced that she will expand the school reinforcement plan for mathematics and reading comprehension to students in Baccalaureate and Basic Vocational Training, around to 5.2 million students

Learn more »

Jan 19, 2024

Education will review the draft decree of the Baccalaureate curriculum to make it clear that it does not remove Music subjects

The Association for Musical Education of Castilla-La Mancha (AldáreaCLM) expressed its rejection of the draft of the decree of organization and curriculum of Baccalaureate, since its wording showed that the subject of music from 1st year of Baccalaureate and the 2nd year of Baccalaureate would be changed.

Learn more »

Dec 29, 2023

52% of Castellón residents over 16 years of age do not have compulsory education

Generational reasons, others linked to the brick boom and the sheer, simple and harsh abandonment of school can explain that more than half of Castellón residents over 16 years of age do not currently have a Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) degree. .

Learn more »

Dec 29, 2023

In Spain, one in four young people only has compulsory education

The Community reaches the lowest percentage in the historical series since 2002, when it stood at 35.3%, although it is still almost double the average of OECD countries, of 14%

Learn more »

Dec 28, 2023

Cantabria Governing Council approves several agreements to promote free educational resources and curricular materials

The Government Council has approved agreements with several local entities for the Educational Resources Program in the current school year and thus promote the progressive free-of-charge of curricular materials.

Learn more »

Dec 28, 2023

Mazón assures that the music subject will once again be mandatory in ESO in 2024

The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón , that the subject of music will no longer be a "mary" in compulsory secondary education and will be a mandatory subject starting next year to continue "training our young people."

Learn more »

Jun 19, 2023

In Spain, Ministry of Education paralyzes the new EBAU for "responsibility" before the early call for elections

The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training has decided to paralyze the approval of the royal decree of the new Evaluation of the Baccalaureate for University Access (EBAU), whose implementation was to begin in the 2023-2024 academic year, after the President of the Government , Pedro Sánchez, has announced the early call for general elections and the dissolution of the Cortes.

Learn more »

May 18, 2023

Spain Ministry of Education backtracks and eliminates the maturity test in the new Selectividad

The ministry directed by Pilar Alegría leaves out this controversial test, increases the time of the exams from 90 to 105 minutes and includes a third review.

Learn more »

May 1, 2023

Madrid announces new tests so that those over 18 years of age can obtain Secondary

The Community of Madrid has convened new free tests so that those over 18 years of age can obtain the Compulsory Secondary Education title with the aim of acquiring the basic elements for their incorporation into subsequent studies or for their labor insertion.

Learn more »

Apr 26, 2023

In Galicia, new dates for the evaluations of ESO, baccalaureate and current course cycles

The extraordinary final evaluation sessions for high school students and the first year of basic training cycles and the final evaluation session for compulsory secondary education students must be carried out as of June 22, 2023.

Learn more »

Jan 25, 2023

Spain's new selectivity is postponed until the academic year 2027-2028

The new model of Evaluation of the Baccalaureate for University Access , better known as EBAU or selectivity , which the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MEFP) had proposed to launch in the 2026-2027 academic year, will be extended for another year .

Learn more »

Nov 2, 2022

Spain's maturity test that will be worth 75% of the Selectivity and will integrate several subjects

The implementation of the new Selectivity will be done from the 2023/2024 academic year and will be gradual until it is completely applied in 2026/2027.

Learn more »

ARCHIVED COUNTRY STUDY: (PDF)

There is 1 archived country study available. Log in to view them.

Spain

Overview

Located in southwestern Europe, Spain has a rich history that contributed much to the modern-day country. A member of the European Union, Spain is also the EU country closest to Africa, as it is separated from Morocco by the 8-mile Strait of Gibraltar.

Spain was originally inhabited by Celts, Iberians, and Basques, and became a part of the Roman Empire in 206 B.C., when it was conquered by Scipio Africanus. In 711, the Muslims under Jabal Tariq entered Spain from Africa, and, within a few years had completely conquered the country. In 732, the Franks, led by Charles Martel, defeated the Muslims near Poitiers, thus preventing the further expansion of Islam in southern -Europe. In 1478, the Inquisition rooted-out those who had not converted to Christianity. By 1502, most Jews and Muslims had been expelled.

Through a long era of exploration, discovery, and colonization, Spain amassed tremendous wealth and a vast colonial empire throughout North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean and what is now Morocco. In World War I, Spain maintained a position of neutrality. In 1923, Gen. Miguel Primo de Rivera became dictator. In 1930, King Alfonso XIII revoked the dictatorship, but a strong anti-monarchist and republican movement led to his leaving Spain in 1931. On July 18, 1936, Francisco Franco Bahamonde led a mutiny against the government. The civil war that followed lasted three years and cost the lives of nearly a million people. The war ended when Franco took Madrid on March 28, 1939. Franco became head of the state, national chief of the Falange Party (the governing party), and prime minister and caudillo (leader). In a referendum in 1947, the Spanish people approved a Franco-drafted succession law declaring Spain a monarchy again. Franco, however, continued as chief of state. In 1969, Franco and the Cortes ("states") designated Prince Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor María de Borbón to become king of Spain when the provisional government headed by Franco came to an end. Franco died on Nov. 20, 1975, and Juan Carlos was proclaimed king.

Under pressure from Catalonian and Basque nationalists, Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez granted home rule to these regions in 1979. Spain joined the European Economic Community, now the European Union, in 1986.

Education

Spain's first comprehensive public education plan was contained in the Ley Moyano (Moyano Law of 1857). It remained basically unchanged until 1970, when the General Law on Education was passed. Since then many other education reforms have taken place. Currently, the Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional determines educational decisions and practices.

Historically, the state and the Roman Catholic Church have clashed over education. Spain still has a large private education sector, almost all of which is Catholic, but since the 1960s, the predominance of the State has been clearly established, especially in secondary education. In the 1980s the Catholic schools, most of which received substantial subsidies from the State, were subjected to closer government control, and religious education was removed as an obligatory subject. With regional autonomy, control over education in some parts of the country was transferred from the central to regional governments. As a result, the study of the Catalan, Galician, and Euskera languages became obligatory in their respective regions.

After 1960, there was a dramatic increase in the availability of schooling at all levels. The change was greatest with regards to universities. Until 1960, there were only 12 universities in the country, and higher education was the privilege of a very small elite. By the end of the 20th century, there were more than 60 public and private universities, some of which were operated by the Catholic Church. Access to a university education became more democratic as well: in the 1980s almost half of Spain's university students had parents who had received no more than an elementary school education. By the late 1990s about half of Spain's college-age population was attending a university. One of the world's oldest universities, the Universidad de Salamanca, was founded in 1218.

The official language of Spain is Spanish and all education is taught in the Spanish language. However, in the Autonomous Communities, the co-official language of the area (Catalan, Galician, Valencian, and Euskera [Basque]) is mandatory at the primary and secondary levels.

Primary and Secondary Education

Under the Education Reform Act of 1990, primary education was set for six years and Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) (compulsory secondary education) for four years from ages 12 to 16. ESO is divided into two, two-year cycles, one from ages 12 to 14, and one from ages 14 to 16. It leads to the Graduado en Educación Secundaria certificate. This certificate is required for both Bachillerato (higher secondary) studies and Ciclo Formativo de Grado Medio (intermediate vocational training), both of which are of two year programs of study. Bachillerato students who have completed all subjects successfully are awarded the Título de Bachillerato. There are 5 types of bachilleratos: Bachillerato de Humanidades, Bachillerato de Ciencias de la Naturaleza y la Salud, Bachillerato Tecnológico, Bachillerato de Ciencias Sociales, and Bachillerato de Arte. Students who wish to continue in university must sit for the entrance examination, Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad.Prior to the 1990 reform, students had to complete an additional year of study in a Curso de Orientación Universitaria (university orientation course) following Bachillerato studies.

In intermediate vocational training, students who successfully complete their two years of training are awarded a Certificado de Técnico in the relevant field. This certificate enables them to work in areas related to their training, to pursue further training, or study for a Bachillerato.

In 2006, the Ley Orgánica de Educación (LOE) (Organic Law of Education) was passed and it repealed all previous legislation affecting primary and secondary education. It provides educational quality at all levels, makes both families and schools responsible for school success, and will allow Spain to meet the educational objectives of the European Union. Its gradual implementation began in the 2006-07 academic year and will be completed in the 2009-10 academic year when a new university admission examination is introduced.

Post-Secondary Education

The most recent reform law affecting university education, the Ley Organica de Universidades (LOU) (Universities Organic Law) was enacted in 2001, and reorganized Spain's system of higher education along the lines of the Bologna Declaration. By 2010, all universities degrees conformed with the Bologna Declaration.

First Cycle

Higher education is divided into three stages. Stage 1 comprises short-cycle degree programs offered at escuelas universitarias (university schools) that last 3 years and are generally professional in nature. Following completion of a Stage 1 program, students are awarded the diplomado.

Second Cycle

Stage 2 programs, or long-cycle as they are known, represent from 5 to 6 years of university study (2 to 3 years beyond the diplomado), and lead to the licenciado, or second university degree. The first 2 to 3 years consist of general education plus studies in a major field; the second cycle requires 2 to 3 years of further specialization and leads to the licenciado.

Third Cycle

Stage 3, or the third level university degree, is known as the doctorado, and requires an additional 2 or more years of course work plus the defense of a dissertation.


BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION. JOIN THE AACRAO EXCHANGE. JOIN NOW

Upcoming AACRAO Events

On-Demand Learning

Self-Paced | Online

Self-paced courses aligned with our competency and proficiency framework, AACRAO's on-demand training will build your skills and enhance your resume. 

Courses in:

  • Compliance
  • FERPA
  • International
  • and more

Learn More

SEM_2020_1440x400 update

The International Institute

The AACRAO International Institute covers promising practices for the evaluation of international credentials that combines AACRAO’s On-Demand International Series with five, two-hour, virtual instructor-led training sessions.

Learn More
AACRAO International Institute Banner