Higher Education Centres in Spain

Higher education in Spain is not taught only by universities. This list covers the other centres that teach at that level: faculties and schools that belong to a university, centres attached to a university (centros adscritos), business schools, centres of higher arts education and foreign universities with a campus in Spain. The universities themselves are in the list of universities in Spain. The text below explains each kind of centre, which qualifications are official and what to check before enrolling.

How these centres differ from a university

In Spain only institutions created or recognised under the university law (Ley Orgánica 2/2023) may call themselves a university. A university is organised in campuses, faculties, schools and departments, and it awards the official degrees: the bachelor's degree (grado), the máster universitario and the doctorate, which are valid throughout Spain.

• Faculties and schools of a university (centros propios). The degree is the university's own.
• Centros adscritos. Centres with their own owner, public or private, attached to one university by an agreement that the regional government approves. The official degrees taught there are issued by the rector of that university.
• Business schools. The university laws cited here do not define the business school (escuela de negocios) as a category. Some teach official degrees as a faculty or attached centre; others award only their own qualifications.
• Centres of higher arts education (enseñanzas artísticas superiores): conservatorios superiores de música and de danza, escuelas superiores de arte dramático, de diseño and de conservación y restauración de bienes culturales. They are part of higher education but are not universities. They are run or authorised by the regional education authorities, which also issue the qualifications, and they are public or private.
• Foreign centres authorised in Spain. Campuses of universities from other countries that teach the degrees of their home system.

Official degrees, RUCT and títulos propios

An official university degree must be entered in the Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos (RUCT), the public register of the ministry. It has sections for universities, centres and degrees, and the attachment of a centre to a university is entered there too. Searching RUCT for the degree and the centre confirms that a grado, máster universitario or doctorate is official.

Universities may also teach programmes that lead to their own qualifications (títulos propios). The rules name three for graduates: the Máster de Formación Permanente (60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits), the Diploma de Especialización (30 to 59 credits) and the Diploma de Experto (fewer than 30 credits). These are not official degrees. Their name and format may not cause confusion with official degrees, and the university has to tell students whether a qualification is official or its own. "Máster universitario" is the name of the official master's degree.

Higher arts education and Ley 1/2024

Higher arts education has two cycles: the Grado en Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores and the Máster en Enseñanzas Artísticas. Ley 1/2024 states that the grado sits at the same level of the Spanish qualifications framework for higher education (MECES) as the university bachelor's degree and is equivalent to it for all purposes.

According to the education ministry's summary, the law also adds new disciplines (audiovisual arts, animation, video games, film, creative writing and circus arts), opens the way to doctorates in cooperation with universities and creates a student council in the centres. Centres may be attached to a university. Students have the same standing as university students in the state grant system. The law also provides for a state register of higher arts education that is to work together with RUCT. The ministry states that the law is implemented in stages between 2025 and 2027.

To find the centres that teach each discipline, the ministry points to its search tool for non-university centres and to its arts education portal.

Foreign universities with a campus in Spain

A centre that teaches under a foreign education system needs the authorisation of the regional government where it is located. The authorisation allows it to offer degrees that are official in the country of origin. Authorised centres and their degrees are entered in a specific register within RUCT.

These are not Spanish degrees. By law they have only the effects that the law of the country of origin gives them, and recognition in Spain follows the rules for foreign higher education qualifications. The centre must tell students this at enrolment.

Admission, fees and grants

For an official grado at a faculty or an attached centre, the general university access rules apply: the Spanish Bachiller or a qualification declared equivalent, or, for school systems outside the European Union without an agreement, studies recognised (homologados) as equivalent to the Bachiller. A máster universitario requires an official bachelor's degree or equivalent; holders of degrees from outside the European Higher Education Area can be admitted without homologación once the university has checked the level of the degree.

For a grado in higher arts education, applicants need the Bachiller or an equivalent or recognised qualification and must pass a specific entrance test for the discipline. The tests are regulated by the regional governments and differ between regions; no exemption from the test is possible for music or dance. The ministry notes that applicants from abroad will probably have to request recognition of their non-university qualifications.

For official university degrees at public universities, the regional government sets the public prices. The prices of títulos propios are set by each university. Private centres set their own fees. Grants are described on the scholarships page. For a study visa, the ministry's portal says the course must be full time and taught in person or with at least 50 per cent of the teaching in person.

What to check before enrolling

• The exact name of the qualification and whether it is official or the centre's own
• The degree and the centre in RUCT, for university degrees
• The university that issues the degree, for an attached centre
• The regional authority that authorises the centre, for higher arts education
• The country whose degree is awarded and how it is recognised in Spain, for a foreign centre
• Entrance tests, dates and documents on the centre's admission page
• The full price per academic year

Frequently asked questions

Is a degree from a centro adscrito a university degree?

Yes, if it is an official degree. Official degrees taught at an attached centre are issued by the rector of the university it is attached to, and the degree appears in RUCT.

Is a qualification from a conservatorio superior equivalent to a bachelor's degree?

Yes. Ley 1/2024 places the Grado en Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores at the same MECES level as the university grado and declares it equivalent for all purposes.

Is a máster propio an official master's degree?

No. It is the institution's own qualification. Only a máster universitario entered in RUCT, or a Máster en Enseñanzas Artísticas, is an official master's degree.

Is a degree from a foreign university campus in Spain a Spanish degree?

No. It has the effects given by the law of the country of origin. To use it as a Spanish qualification, the holder follows the procedure for recognising foreign degrees.