BILATERAL AGREEMENT ON EDUCATIONAL COOPERATION AND UNIVERSITY ACCESS BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND SPAIN

BRITISH STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS UNIVERSITIES IN SPAIN AND SPANISH STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Representatives of the governments of the United Kingdom and Spain concluded on Monday the signing of a bilateral agreement on educational cooperation and access to university and other higher education institutions following close joint work between the Spanish Ministries of Education and Vocational Training and Universities and the British Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs.

The agreement was signed in Madrid by the UK Ambassador Hugh Elliott, the Spanish Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Pilar Alegría, and the Spanish Minister for Universities, Joan Subirats, and will come into force on 2 August 2023.

The agreement will allow students from the British education system to gain access to universities in Spain with their secondary school grades equivalent to the baccalaureate in Spain (e.g. A-levels and equivalents). For those degree courses in competitive competition, it will be necessary to take the specific selectividad test, as was the case before the UK’s exit from the EU. There are 129 accredited British schools in Spain, with a capacity for 70,000 students.

Students in the Spanish education system will continue to gain access to UK universities and other higher education institutions without having to take a general university entrance exam, as is currently the case, with added legal certainty.

The agreement also establishes a framework for increased cooperation between the UK and Spain in the field of education and underlines the desire of both parties to further strengthen their links in this area. The UK is grateful for the support of its Spanish partners in reaching this agreement and looks forward to continuing to expand the bilateral relationship between the UK and Spain.