Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

Out of interest, how much do Spanish universities typically charge?
There is always the Scottish option where tuition fees are free, but you have to show you are domiciled.

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

I think in Spain there are considerable regional variations?

.... as there seem to be, if Google is right, as to entry requirements; the Selectividad appears to be a 'catch-all' entry exam with varying elements according to what course(s) you did at school and what you want to do at uni. But different universities may require different pass marks???

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

Depends on the subject and the university. It's quite complicated; details here

Cheaper than the UK at the moment but the present govt wants to increase them (Rajoy has been talking to El Cameron!).

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

They are talking about abolishing Selectividades in this new law going through.

Las universidades podrán acordar pruebas de acceso conjuntas

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

So about 600 euros to 1000 euros per year

Not bad coompared to £9k per year plus living expenses in the UK!

And most students in Spain live at home with their parents and go to their local universities

Many people would be better off with a Spanish degree rather than a UK degree with £40k of debt

One problem though is that Spanish degrees take 5 years, while UK degrees are only 3 years, so at least you save time in the UK!

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

Really? I thought they were four years in Spain, the same as Scotland.

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

Nope, and some degrees like engineering are 7 years long, but have a very good reputation worldwide.

Some people are only 17 when they start uni in Spain, like in Scotland, but many are in their late 20s when they finish :rofl: There is a 30% failure rate per year which is set, meaning that they must fail the worst 30% each year

Which is another point, UK unis rarely fail anyone, so if you child goes to a Spanish uni then make sure they are bright and committed!

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

Our son went to a british school which followed the british curriculum with an option to take the bachi. Although most of the children were predominately spanish, I noticed that the English children seemed to head to the UK for University. I dont know why but I thought maybe it was that the children preferred to do that high level of study in their own language, but of course they had done all their studying in English. Saying that, a few of the spanish children have preferred to do medicine in the Uk as they felt it was better there.

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

There is a wider range of degree subjects in the UK, and degrees are generally easier than those in Spain (with a possible exception of Oxbridge and the old red brick unis).

As long as you can afford it then a UK degree is shorter, better quality and quicker, its just that you must pay £40k or so for the privilage nowadays which is a lot when one third of UK graduates cant get a graduate level job.

Half of UK degrees are a complete waste of time though I'm afraid! So make sure you dont spend £40k on those! Stick to the red bricks or do some vocational training

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

As a UK or EU resident, you will not have to pay up front for tuition. It's more akin to a graduate tax. Repayments are only taken via PAYE when graduates start to earn above the threshold - any balance left outstanding is written off after 30 years so some students will never repay all (or I guess in some cases any) of the fees.

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

Are you quite sure that this sort of grant is available in ALL EU countries (I'm thinking particularly of Spain).

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

My understanding is yes, but only for tuition fees - not living expenses. Check out the link I posted in #11 and confirm that on the government website :)

ETA - here's the exact page from the website... https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/loans-and-grants

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

If some graduates will never earn enough to pay off some or even any of the debt, then the money spent on gaining their degree was a complete waste. I heard today that there are 54,000 fewer students registered at British universities this year, most likely because of increased costs, and personally I think this is a very good thing as it may mean that more young people will look to apprenticeships or post A level training posts to which they may be more suited and they may well be in better paid work by the time they are in their early 20s than if they had obtained a degree before starting work.

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

I'm interested in all this post-grad stuff, as well... but anyone any thoughts on O level choices/ A level (clearly I'm out of date and we're talking IGCSE or equivalent... and what would be the equivalent in Spanish terms and/or if you're fluent Spanish with Cono and Lengua up to (what) level and are considering your options?

Re: Uni choice: Spain or UK?
 

afaik - or at least word from NARIC, there's no official 'equivalency' agreement below A level/bachi

the 6th form colleges I have spoken to in the UK said they would accept each individual subject taken at age 16 as a GCSE equivalent (except Valenciano) so you could in fact fail your 'graduado' at 16 & still come away with the equivalent of 6 or more GCSEs!!

(they study 10 subjects here, have to pass at least 8 including the 3 core subjects of Castellano, Valenciano & Maths. If you fail any of the core subjects or more than 2 of the others, you simply fail)


which begs the question......if you 'only' have 6 or 7 IGCSEs from an International school............. but are fluent in Spanish............. would you be accepted onto Bachi if you wanted to go that route??