Spanish Universities

Just for anyones interest. If you have kids coming up or taking Bachillerato, if they achieve a 9 or above (out of 10 and the average of all the exams over the 2 year period) then the universities will let your child into uni free for the first year!

Fees are pretty good depending on how many subjects you take - around 1400 euros per annum

If your child is a high flyer, then they will be headhunted by top firms at the end of their degrees

Wonderful isnt it!

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That's interesting, thanks Rixxy.

Uni fees seem to be much cheaper in Spain compared with UK.  Think we'll hang around here until the kids go off to Spanish uni then!!

Justin

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Yes well I have an interest as Im over the moon cos my little girl did just this. 

She got 9.06 average over the 2 years and is one of the top students in Spain. She is rather modest ad hates me mentioning anything about her on here.

She is going into sciences - she has to do her entrance exams for uni but she can get into anywhere she wants.
Takes after he mum you know!!

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That's excellent, you must be so proud! Where do you think she will go?

Susan

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Thats good news Rixxy, after all your bad luck it looks like it's on the way up, congratulations to your daughter, you must be really proud of her.

Maureen

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Rixxy, just remember though .... click on picture

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She is taking her entance exams next week but was thinking of Sal;amancar, Madrid or Granada as they are the best science unis. Looking at biotechnology or similar and wants to be in research

Im hoping she gets into nutrition as thats a boomer!

Will keep you all informed and yes I am bursting with pride. All credit to her - with all thats gone on over the years she has kep her head straight and focused. Just shows it can be done - no excuses being from another country!

Very good More!!

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Rixxy,
You must be absolutely bursting with pride and rightly so. 
Your daughter must be thrilled too even though she doesn't like mum mentioning it.
With the choices now open to her 'the world is her LOBSTER' as Arfur Daley used to say.
My heartiest Congratulations to her she deserves them.

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Thanks Sandra. 

She worked so hard often refusing to go out with her friends. What is also worth mentioning is that schools in Spain have their school year form january to december, so as her birthday is in november, she is one of the youngest there as well. Others have 10 months development over her - which can mean a lot.

She gets her love of science from me - Im still fascinated with it! Luckily she has done what I didnt do and get through the next stage to Uni. But my little baby girl will be going away from October, its her first real step into adulthood. She is looking forward to it, Im dreading every second leading up to it!

Makes me feel sorry for my mum now - I left and didnt look back. So hard on the parents! Ah well. More time to do my own thing now I guess!

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Hi There.

My daugher has just finished her first year at a Spanish state school, she has completed year 2 and is going up to year 3 in September. She is very keen to go to university but cant decide wheather she should go to one in Spain, or return to the UK. She has picked up Spanish very well, especially as she if 14, and we were concerned that she may of been to old to go to a Spanish school. From what I have read on this thread, the fees at uni seem so low compared to the UK, so I am hoping she will go to a local one. Does anyone have any advice about the universities here? I would very much appreciate it.

Babs

 

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Hi Babas - she will need to be totally fluent in the language. Encourage her to mix with Spanish children, play with them and to watch spanish tv, read spanish books etc. Once she takes her school leaving certificate she can proceed to next level bachillerato. Over that 2 year course (and she will have subject choices to take depending on what she is interested in doing) she will need to attain at least a level 5 to get acceptance into university. Once passed then she applies either in Malaga region or wherever by internet forms

If she attains a 9 or above she will be entitled to the first year uni fees free.

Under that she will get into uni but not necessarily have the choice she wants. The top students after uni cuorse are basically guaranteed jobs form the top firms who hand pick them.

Fees range from around 1200 to 1600 eurso per annum. Residency is around 200 euros plus bills per month. Take this as a guide only as it depends on where and region etc she goes to
Hope that helps and good luck

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Hi Rixxy.

Thank you very much for the information. My daughter is doing very well with her Spanish, and the school she attends have provided her with excellent extra Spanish lessons, her Spanish teacher has said she will be fluent within the next few months. All her friends are Spanish, and she is reading Spanish books, and doing everything she can to do well at school.

You mentioned in your post that if she gains a grade 9, the university fees would be free for the first year, is that a grade 9 in all the subjects or just in one subject? The fees are certainly much cheaper here in Spain than in the UK. and at the moment she would prefer to remain here, as we hope she will.

Thank you once more.
Babs

 

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Hola - thats great to hear! Its a 9 over all the subjects she takes - here you cant fail one otherwise it affects the overall grade - hence students are having a far better education here in Spain, and they have to achieve overall good marks.

If they fail or get an insufficiente, then there are 2 further times to retake - worse case scenario is they are sent to redo the year!

Then so much encouragement for the ones who want to get on and achieve. I was wary when I first came here how it would be but I have been very impressed with the system.

Good luck and keep in touch!

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Hi Rixxy.

Thanks for that. I agree with you, we have found the teachers at the schools encourage the pupils who want to work and do well. We had all been so concerned for Jessica (our daughter) as she was doing extremely well in the UK at school, and we didnt want to damage her prospects to go to university by moving here. She has just completed her first year in the local school and passed everything except Lengua, which she will re-take in September, so is going up to the  next class in September.

You sound as though as you know a lot about the system here in Spain, did you attend uni here?

Thanks again

 

Babs

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Hi Babs - I attended the university of life here in Spain!!!

I have been here for over 13 years now but came with 2 small kids, 5 and 3 at the time so I have had to find my way through the system. As their spanish got better I encouraged them to find out what they needed to know and its my daughter who has just passed the bachillerato and is going to uni this october (Im loosing my little girl!!!) She is all excited, Im apprehensive - guess thats normal!

Im dead proud of both her and her brother. She studied hard and worked and acheived over 9 so gets the uni year free. She is going to Seville (latest choice anyway) to study bio-technology. The sciences are hard to break as not many do it so the standards are very high.

She has found out the halls of residence have self contained apartments and three can share. Costs 200 euros per month which includes a weekly cleaner!!! Cant be bad and I have applied for one!!!

Its all trial and error but great fun.

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Hi Rixxy,

You must be so proud of her, she has done incrediblly well against so many odds. Jessica is wanting to train to be a Doctor, and I have no doubt that she would have acheived this in the UK, I just hope she can get the same opportunities here, and can suceed. Having just been here one year, we are still struggling our way around the system, but we are getting there. Jessica is lucky, being very confident and able to join local activities such as the Casa de la Cultura where she is continuing with flute lessons and has started learning the guitare. We also have two other children aged 16 and 7, my 16 year old son has just completed his GCSES at an International school on the coast, going back do to A levels in September. My 7 year old is at the junior school in the village, but unfortunately finds it harder, and is more inclined to mix with English children, although I am sure with time this will change.

The university at Seville is absoloutely beautiful, and has an excellent reputation, and I wish your daughter every success.

Babs.

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Thanks Babs and yes I am. It can be trials and tribulations moving here - your daughter of 7 is follwing the same pattern as mine did! She had english friends and her school teacher kept encouraging her to make fronds more with the spanish ones. The english ones moved inland and it was then the making of her. She thrived with having to learn the language and not translate in her head but be totally fluent with it, so dont worry, it will come.

Your older is doing all the right things and how it will set her in stead for the future. I cannot praise the educational system here highly enough and they really get the best out of pupils.

And just imagine - when your daughter is a doctor she will be able to work pretty much anywhere with english and spanish under her belt! As she gets better in the language she will be able to extend her languages, mine did French as the second choice alongside english and also german. This opens so many doors.

My daughter wants to go into research, looking at nanotechnology as her speciallity - a study of nans said I to her, to total dosapproval!! 

Hey ho! 

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Hi Rixxy,

Thanks for the reassurance, you do worry dont you? I definitely agree about the languages, Jessica had been learning French in the UK prior to the move here, but her Spanish stopped her doing French so she could concentrate on her Spanish, she resumes with French lessons in September. 

How about you, have you managed to master the language? My husband and I are learing very slowly, think at our ages our brains are not as receptive as they used to be.

Take care.

Babs

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Hola Im not too bad as I do practise. Sometimes though its a struggle! I had telefonica in here this morning as we are moving offices and lines, reducing some lines etc.

I THINK I got it all across but will know in the next week when the technico comes along!!!!

I am having conversation classes with a spanish lady who wants to learn english - it costs nothing and I find it really helpful - thats something you could try as many spanish want to learn english as well!

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Cant believe its been over two years since these posts, what a lot has happened since then! To update - Jessica has finished school now and has started bachillerato along with many of her friends, she is actually the only English student attending! She has continued to thrive and grow here in Spain, she became completely fluent so quickly and continued to take part in all the local music events incluidng the village band etc. She was so sad to finish school last June and had become very settled and happy there, although she did enjoy a trip to Paris with her class. We were so proud of her when we got her final exam results, she acheived the highest mark for the girls in her year, all her very hard work had paid off! My son also finished school this year where he continued to go to an International school, he is now back in the UK at uni, studying  for a law degree and has done very well. Our youngest daughter now has all Spanish friends and is very much integrated into the localcommunity, her Spanish is now excellent and she is doing so much better at school, she loves being in a Spanish school and being fluent in Spanish.

 

Rixxy, if you read this, I hope your daughter is continuing to do well at uni, would love an update!

 

Babs.

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