Spain still has relatively few foreign students, especially compared to other developed Western countries that have managed to put the sale of educational services on an assembly line. It can be said that on a global scale Spanish education is undervalued - a regrettable circumstance, because the country's educational system has a number of undeniable advantages.
One of them is the strong influence of the state on the formation of educational policy. Under the Ministry of Education there is a special body - the National Institute of Quality and Evaluation (Institute Nacional de Calidad y Evaluacion), which monitors the activities of educational institutions, annually publishes reports and ratings, and serves as a reliable guarantee that no 'educational hackwork' is simply impossible in the country. The 'state' character of Spanish education is also reflected in the fact that the number of private educational institutions, both secondary and higher, is relatively small. Thanks to strong state support, universities have the opportunity to offer more than competitive prices for their programs - you can find a faculty where tuition will cost a student only $700 a year! Given that the cost of living here is also lower than in neighboring European countries, not to mention the USA, the financial benefits of obtaining a diploma in Spain become obvious.
Another plus of the system is the dynamism of its development. Evidence of this is the recent education reform aimed at accelerating Spain's integration into the pan-European educational space. To study in Spain means to study in accordance with the spirit of the times!
Finally, Spain is a country inhabited by an extremely hospitable people, open and friendly. The problem of adapting to life here is solved quickly and painlessly.
Secondary education is compulsory for all Spaniards and is divided into two cycles: primary (from 6 to 12 years) and secondary proper (from 12 to 16 years). Upon completion, students take exams and receive a document called Graduado Escolar. About 70% of Spanish children attend public schools. The private sector of secondary education is mainly represented by religious educational institutions, since the traditions of Catholicism are extremely strong in Spain. There are also boarding schools here where foreign children study.
From here, options are possible. You can continue studying at one of the vocational training institutions - an analogue of domestic technical schools or Western European colleges. But those who aim for higher education prefer to stay in school for another three years and complete the Bachillerato Unificado y Polivalente (BUP) program. The final year implies specialization in such areas as medicine and natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, mathematics and technical sciences. Spanish language and literature, a foreign language, history, and philosophy remain compulsory subjects for all. According to statistics, about 40% of all Spanish high school students choose exactly the humanities. In second place (36%) is medicine. But Spaniards are more or less indifferent to technology - only 14% of applicants dream of obtaining an engineer's diploma.
The Bachiller degree obtained upon completion of this program gives the graduate the right to enroll... no, not yet at university, but only in a one-year preparatory program Curso de Orientacion Universitaria (COD). But even this is not a guarantee that you will become a student. All applicants must take a comprehensive entrance examination Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad, commonly called in short - Selectividad, that is, a selection test. This rule fully extends to foreign students, so for our applicant the optimal way to get into a Spanish university should be to study on one of the preparation programs for passing Selectividad.
In the Spanish higher education system there are about 50 public and a dozen private universities. The oldest of them - the University of Salamanca - dates back to 1218! The universities of Madrid, Seville, Valencia, Barcelona, and Granada enjoy high prestige in the country.
In addition to universities, higher education in Spain can be obtained at one of the higher technical schools (escuelas tecnicas superiores). As is evident from the name, they are focused on training in engineering and technical specialties.
The structure of higher education also includes university schools (escuelas universitarias) and university colleges (colegios universitarias). These institutions usually have two-year programs culminating in the award of a bachelor's degree.
All the advantages of Spanish education can become accessible to a foreign student under one important condition - knowledge of the Spanish language. There are many dozens and hundreds of schools and centers specializing in teaching Spanish as a foreign language in the country. In addition to academic programs for preparing for the international exam DELE (Diploma de Espanol como Lengua Extranjera) and the aforementioned Selectividad, they offer a huge range of fascinating courses, including introduction to Spanish literature and painting, national cuisine and the art of flamenco, not to mention a rich excursion and sports entertainment program.
Experts predict a great future for the Spanish language - one of the great world languages. And the one who today chooses to study in Spain will not regret it tomorrow.