Life | Entrance Requirements | Accommodation | Universities in Andalucia

By Tina Andlaw

Spain has a high standard of university level education while some of the most prestigious national universities can be found in Andalucia. Indeed, the universities at Granada and Seville are widely considered to be amongst the best in Spain.

Life at Spanish University

Studying at Spanish university will not only be an academic experience but a cultural one as well. The Spanish have a very individual way of conducting their higher education system and this is a direct result of the cultural style you will experience. In order to get a good insight into life at Spanish university, please click here to read an interesting article written by Russell Seaman, a British student who studied in Málaga University.

Entrance Requirements

As in all countries, the Spanish education system has its levels of education required for entrance into university but this depends largely upon what subjects you wish to study and works along the lines of a system of points.

General requirements in Spain are the Bachillerato which is taken at school at age 18, swiftly followed by Selectividad exams. A final mark representing points gained for entrance to university is then calculated from the results of these two examinations. It is composed of 60% of the Bacillerato marks, plus 40% of the Selectividad marks to make the total points gained. Each university has a point requirement for entrance and this will depend on the individual course and number of students wishing to study the particular subject. Minimum points required for entrance to university are currently 5.

If you have received secondary education outside Spain and wish to go to a Spanish university to continue your studies, you will need to satisfy the university that you have the equivalent level of studies and linguistic skills to enable you to go on the course. You will also need to supply legalised and translated certificates and related documentation. Students need to apply to the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura: www.mec.es and go through a process of validation, or convalidación. This is a standard procedure but can sometimes take up to a year to complete. Apply to: Subdirección General de Títulos, Convalidaciones y homologaciones, Servicio de Homologación de Títulos Universitarios Extranjeros. Paseo del Prado, 28. 28012 MADRID. Tel. 91 018 500.

Accommodation

Although students may study in any chosen university in Spain, it is more common, even today, for economic and social reasons, for students to stay in the family home and commute to university or stay nearby during the week and go back home at weekends.

Culturally, the family is still a very important part of a young person´s life in Spain. This makes social life limited during weekends and in the evening as students flock home to their families. Little by little, the trend is moving towards some students venturing to other parts of the country, but it is by no means a rule. To find out more about accommodation while studying in an Andalucian university, please click here and read Rachel Burns's first-hand account.

An Erasmus University exchange student from Liverpool shares her personal view of finding accommodation at Malaga University.

Links to Universities in Andalucia

For further information on any of the Universities listed below click on the link to view their web site:

University of Cádiz
Rectorado, Ancha, 16,
11001 Cádiz
Tlf: +34 956 015000

University of Córdoba
Rectorado, Alfonso XIII,13,
14071 Córdoba
Tlf: +(34) 957 21 80 00
Fax: +(34) 957 21 80 30

University of Granada
Cuesta del Hospicio s/n, 18071 Granada
Tlf: +(34) 958 24 30 25
Fax: +(34) 958 24 30 66
E-mail: info0@elvira.ugr.es

University of Huelva
Campus de El Carmen, Edificio Alan Turing,
Ave. Fuerzas Armadas s/n,
21071 Huelva Tlf: +(34) 959 01 90 02
Fax: +(34) 959 01 90 29
E-mail: www@uhu.es

University of Jaén
Paraje de las Lagunillas s/n,
Edificio B1,
23071 Jaén
Tlf: +(34) 953 01 21 21
E-mail: info@ujaen.es

University of Málaga
Edificio de Investigación, 2» planta,
Campus de Teatinos,
29071 Málaga
Tlf: +(34) 952 13 29 72
Fax: +(34) 952 13 29 71
E-mail: relint@uma.es

University of Seville
Real Fábrica de Tabacos,
S. Fernando, 4,
41004 Sevilla
Tlf: +(34) 954 55 69 99

University Pablo de Olavide (Seville)

University life in Andalusia

An Erasmus University exchange student from Liverpool shares his personal view of life in Malaga University.

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