Fine Arts Schools and Programs in Spain

Fine Arts Studies in Spain

Fine Arts (Bellas Artes) is the study of artistic creation. In Spain the degree covers the traditional disciplines of drawing, painting, sculpture and printmaking as well as newer media such as digital image, photography, video, performance and installation. It is taught mainly as a four-year university bachelor's degree at faculties of fine arts, and it leads to work as an artist and in fields such as teaching, research and cultural management.

How the degree is organised

Under Royal Decree 822/2021, a Spanish bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits and an official master's degree has 60, 90 or 120 credits. The Grado en Bellas Artes follows this model: four years of 60 credits each.

At the Universidad de Salamanca the degree has four modules: artistic processes, specific disciplines and techniques (drawing, sculpture, painting, photography, digital image, printmaking), the contexts of art seen from other disciplines, and an 18-credit final project. Since 2019-20 students there can follow one of five specialisations (menciones): Audiovisual, Drawing, Sculpture, Printmaking or Painting. At the Universitat Politècnica de València, 102 of the 240 credits are electives and the final project counts 9 credits; graduates can continue with the UPV's master's degrees in Artistic Production and in Visual Arts and Multimedia.

A related route: conservation and restoration

Students who want to work on the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage have a separate official route. It is taught as higher artistic education (enseñanzas artísticas superiores) in two cycles, grado and máster, and, according to the Ministry of Education, restoration is currently only taught at this higher level. The Artistic Education Act (Ley 1/2024) places these grados and másteres at the same level as university degrees in the Spanish Qualifications Framework (MECES), and is being introduced gradually between 2025 and 2027.

Private workshops also teach art and restoration as short courses. Quattrocento in Madrid, for example, offers restoration courses in small groups or one to one for all ages and levels. These courses do not lead to an official degree.

Where to study Fine Arts in Spain

A search for "Bellas Artes" among bachelor's degrees in the ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) returns 21 records, including some older curricula being phased out. In our directory, the Madrid region has the most schools for this subject. Examples of universities with an official Fine Arts degree in the RUCT:

• Madrid region: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija and Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
• Valencia and Murcia: Universitat Politècnica de València, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche and Universidad de Murcia
• Andalusia: Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Málaga and Universidad de Sevilla
• Centre and north: Universidad de Salamanca, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Universidad de Vigo and Universidad de Zaragoza
• Catalonia and the Balearic Islands: Universitat de Barcelona, Universidad de Vic-Universidad Central de Catalunya and Universitat de les Illes Balears, which registers its degree with the English name Bachelor in Fine Arts
• Canary Islands: Universidad de La Laguna

Most degrees are taught in Spanish. In Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and Galicia some classes may be in the co-official language, so check the course guide before you apply.

Admission, costs and recognition

Students who finished secondary school outside Spain usually apply first to UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' records and runs the tests needed to enter a Spanish bachelor's degree. They then apply to each university within its own deadlines. Fine Arts usually has no special entrance test: the Universidad de Salamanca, for example, states that there are no special access conditions or tests for its degree.

Places are limited. The Universidad de Sevilla offered 180 places for 2025-26 and received 863 applications in total; the Universitat Politècnica de València offers 350 places for 2026-27. Public universities charge per credit: €17.34 at the UPV in 2026-27 and €12.62 at the Universidad de Sevilla, where a 99% reduction applies from the second year to credits passed the previous year. Some universities also require a foreign language at CEFR level B1 before the degree is issued, as Sevilla does.

Holders of a foreign degree can ask the ministry for a declaration of equivalence (declaración de equivalencia), which certifies its academic level. Homologación is only needed to practise a regulated profession in Spain.

Careers

According to the universities, Fine Arts graduates work in artistic creation and production in all kinds of media and cultural spaces, in teaching and research, in cultural management and advice, and in businesses linked to the image. Teaching art in Spanish secondary schools is a regulated profession: it requires the official teacher-training master's degree (60 credits) after the bachelor's degree.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Fine Arts degree take in Spain?

Four years and 240 ECTS credits.

Is there an entrance test for Fine Arts?

Usually not. Universities such as Salamanca apply the general admission rules, and international students normally go through UNEDasiss first.

How much does a Fine Arts degree cost at a public university?

Fees are set per credit. In 2026-27 a credit costs €17.34 at the Universitat Politècnica de València; the Universidad de Sevilla charges €12.62 per credit, with a 99% reduction from the second year on credits passed.

Where can I study art restoration?

Restoration is taught as higher artistic education in conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, at grado and máster level.