How to Get Into an Undergraduate Degree in Spain as an International Student: Homologación, UNEDasiss and PCE
Published on · 11 min read
We explain, step by step, how to gain admission to a Spanish public university with foreign qualifications: whether you need to have your high school diploma recognized, how the UNEDasiss system works, how your admission score is calculated through the PCE exams, and all the key deadlines for 2026.
How to Get Into an Undergraduate Degree in Spain as an International Student: Homologación, UNEDasiss and PCE
If you finished high school outside Spain and want to study an undergraduate degree here, this is your process. It has four steps and all of them can be done from your country:
Homologate your high school diploma, if your education system has no direct access to Spanish university through UNEDasiss.
Get your UNEDasiss accreditation.
Take the PCE exams if your degree has a cut-off grade.
Apply for your place.
In this guide we explain each step, with its 2026 dates and the official links to get it done.
Verified in July 2026.
Before we start, the necessary vocabulary
Almost every mistake in this process comes from mixing up terms. Spend two minutes on this part and the rest of the article reads itself.
Homologación: the Spanish Ministry of Education recognises that your high school diploma is equivalent to the Spanish one. Whether you need it or not depends on your education system of origin and the applicable admission route, not simply on coming from inside or outside the EU. When it applies, it is the recognition needed to complete your admission, although you can start certain procedures while it is being resolved, as you will see shortly. It does not give you the place or a grade.
UNEDasiss accreditation: UNEDasiss is the service of UNED (a Spanish public university) dedicated to international students. It analyses your academic record and issues an accreditation with your access grade under the Spanish system. That credential is the document universities use to admit you.
PCE (Pruebas de Competencias Específicas): subject-by-subject exams, similar to the Spanish university entrance exam but designed for international students. They are used to raise your grade when your degree is competitive.
And the two numbers that decide your place:
Your admission grade: the one you present. Your high school record is converted into a grade out of 10, and with the PCE you can reach up to 14.
The cut-off grade: the grade of the last student admitted to that degree at that university last year. If your admission grade is above it, you are in. Each university publishes its own on its admissions portal.
Which case are you?
Your itinerary depends on the education system where you completed high school. Check it before doing anything, because it can save you the longest procedure.
Case A, the short path: you can access through specific UNEDasiss procedures without prior homologación. This happens in certain cases, such as some education systems of the EU and the EEA, the International Baccalaureate (IB) or countries with applicable agreements. You go straight to UNEDasiss to request your access grade, and the PCE are optional: with two well-chosen subjects you can add up to 4 points to your grade. Colombia, for example, has a specific treatment at UNEDasiss based on its education system and its grades.
Case B, the full path: if your education system has no direct access through UNEDasiss, you will do the four steps in order, starting with homologación. It is the usual itinerary for most countries outside the EU.
The detail of which systems and agreements have a direct route is published by UNEDasiss on its website. Check it before anything else: each agreement has its own specific scope.
Step one: homologate your high school diploma (Case B only)
Homologación involves three tasks, and all three start in your country.
First: validate your diploma. If your country signed the Hague Convention, the procedure is called an apostille: an official stamp issued by an authority in your country that certifies the authenticity of the document so it can have effects before the Spanish authorities. You can check whether your country is in the Convention on the official website of the Hague Conference. If it is not, validation is done through diplomatic channels, which gets to the same place but takes longer (we explain it in the FAQ).
Second: translate the documents. If your diploma and your transcripts are not in Spanish, you need a sworn translation, meaning one done by a recognised official translator.
Third: submit the application to the Spanish Ministry of Education. The official procedure page, with the exact list of documents and access to the electronic office, details everything.
Two important things about timing. The decision can take several months, so it is wise to start this step with several months of margin (the autumn before your entry is a good reference), especially if you need to submit documents from abroad. And the wait does not block you: when you submit the application you receive a receipt, called the conditional enrolment slip (volante de inscripción condicional), which allows you to take part in certain admission processes while the homologación is pending, with your enrolment conditional on a favourable decision.
→ With Uniwords: this is the most paperwork-heavy step, and we manage it entirely for you: apostille, sworn translation, submission and follow-up until the decision. You prepare your exams and we take care of your file. Book here
Step two: get your UNEDasiss accreditation
The application is online and open from 4 February to 1 December, although the useful deadlines to start in September are usually much earlier. Files can be resolved in a few weeks if they are complete, with a maximum of 3 months. Send it at least 6 weeks before your university's enrolment deadline closes. Official calendar: UNEDasiss key dates.
Within the application you choose which services you need. Not all of them are necessary: you only request the ones your destination university asks for, and that information appears on each university's admissions website.
The two main services are easy to tell apart:
Admission grade (Calificación para la admisión): converts your record into a grade out of 10, expandable up to 14 with the PCE. This is what public universities require.
Minimum admission requirement (Requisito mínimo de admisión): only certifies that your studies are equivalent to the Spanish Bachillerato, without a grade. It works for some private universities and low-demand degrees, but not to compete at a public one.
On top of these come others depending on your case: the PCE themselves, the Bachillerato modality assignment (we explain it in step 3) and the language accreditation.
About the language: if you come from a non-Spanish-speaking country, you will need to certify your level of Spanish with an official certificate. The two accepted ones are the DELE, from the Instituto Cervantes, and the SIELE. Many universities require B1 or B2 depending on the degree and the university, so check the exact level at your destination. These exams have their own sittings: book your spot early.
Step three: the PCE, your lever to raise your grade
The PCE are in-person, subject-by-subject exams. You can take up to 6, there are two sittings per year, and you don't need to travel: in 2026 they are also held at 45 venues outside Spain. That said, the strategy (how many to take and which ones) depends on your university and your degree, because not all of them use the same subjects and configurations.
Now, how the grade works, step by step.
Your record gives you a base out of 10. Each PCE subject has a weighting for your specific degree and university, usually 0.1 or 0.2. Your grade in that subject, multiplied by its weighting, is added to your base. The subjects that carry the most weight for your specific degree are used, up to the maximum possible of 4 additional points. That is why the ceiling is 14: your base out of 10 plus those 4 points.
An example with numbers. Andrés wants to study Medicine in Madrid. His record is equivalent to a 9.1. At his university, Biology and Chemistry carry a 0.2 weighting for Medicine. He scores 9.5 in Biology (adding 1.9) and 9 in Chemistry (adding 1.8). His final admission grade is 12.8. Last year's cut-off grade was 12.5, so he gets his place.
The lesson of the example: it is not about taking many subjects, but the right ones. Before registering, look up your degree's weightings table on your university's admissions website and choose the subjects that carry the most weight.
UNEDasiss also assigns you a Bachillerato modality (Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Arts or General) based on your record and its accreditation criteria, in which your choice of subjects can play a part. Many universities require your modality to be aligned with the degree you are applying for, so review this service when configuring your application.
And keep the differences between destinations in mind: some universities in Madrid and Catalonia apply specific PCE configurations similar to the Spanish entrance exam (EBAU). Always check the requirements of your specific university.
About preparation: train with recent UNEDasiss exam models, not just the syllabus. And always follow the current edition of the official calendar, because each sitting's rules and dates are published there.
The 2026 dates (official calendar):
Regular registration: from 16 March to 28 April (from 18 February if you prepare with a UNED partner institution).
Regular exams: from 25 to 29 May in Spain, and from 8 to 13 June in the Americas.
Late registration: from 1 to 22 July. Exams: from 2 to 8 September.
These dates correspond to the 2026 sitting and change with each edition: confirm them in the official calendar before planning.
→ With Uniwords: we help you choose your university, subjects and weightings strategy for your target degree, and we connect you with students who followed exactly your itinerary. Book here
Step four: apply for your place
With your credential and your grades, you apply for a place through the pre-enrolment (preinscripción). It is a form where you rank the degrees and universities you want by preference, and it is submitted in each autonomous community (or at each university, depending on the region). Each community organises its phases its own way, so write down the dates of your specific destination.
For the 2026/27 academic year, the deadline for public universities closes on 7 July. If your accreditation is still being processed, submit the application anyway: pending documentation can be provided until 31 July.
Each university can add its own criteria. If in doubt, don't hesitate to write to their international students office, answering questions like yours is exactly their job!
Once you are admitted and enrolled, if you are a non-EU citizen your next procedure begins: the student visa, which you apply for with your admission letter. We cover it in full in the Spanish Student Visa Guide.
Three tips that make the difference
Start with margin. Not because the process is hard, but because homologación moves at its own pace: several months of lead time (the previous autumn as a reference) gives you room, especially if you submit documents from abroad.
Weightings before syllabus. Ten minutes comparing which subjects score for your degree are worth more than an extra month of study.
The language, in parallel. Without the DELE or SIELE certified in time, even the best grade is left out of many universities.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is the Hague apostille?
A single stamp issued by an authority in your country that certifies the authenticity of the document so it can have effects before the Spanish authorities. The list of Convention countries is at https://www.hcch.net. If your country is not on it, validation is done through diplomatic channels: first the education authority of your country, then its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and finally the Spanish consulate. The result is the same, it just takes longer. The requirements are listed on the Ministry's page: https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/catalogo/general/05/051270/ficha/051270.html
Can I move forward while my homologación is being processed?
Yes. The conditional enrolment slip you receive when submitting the application allows you to take part in certain admission processes, such as registering for the PCE and applying for a place, with your enrolment conditional on a favourable decision on your file.
How many subjects should I prepare?
There is no universal rule: the number of PCE depends on your country of access and the university where you apply. As a reference, in itineraries with direct access via UNEDasiss two well-chosen subjects are enough to add up to 4 points, while other itineraries and universities may require more, up to the 6 the system allows. Always confirm it in the requirements of your specific university.
Do I have to travel to Spain during the process?
No. Homologación, accreditation, exams at international venues and pre-enrolment are all managed from your country. You only travel when the course starts, with your visa sorted: https://uniwordstudents.com/blog/visado-de-estudios-espana
What grade do I need?
The cut-off grade of your degree at your specific university, out of 14. Cut-off grades change every year depending on demand, so use last year's as an orientative reference, not as a guarantee! They are published on each university's admissions portal.
What if my goal is a private university?
Each institution sets its own criteria. Many do not require the PCE and are satisfied with the minimum admission requirement or their own internal tests. The factor that really changes is the cost: https://uniwordstudents.com/blog/cuanto-cuesta-estudiar-en-espana
A well-known path, and an accompanied one
Many students complete this process every year, and at UW we know it step by step: university and degree guidance, homologación managed from start to finish, UNEDasiss and PCE strategy, and when the time comes, visa and Arrival Kit. And if at any point the paperwork feels lonely, in the community there are people who followed exactly your itinerary and answer by your side. Book here
The full map of the process, in the General Guide.