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Spain is one of the favorite destinations for Colombian students. According to figures from the Ministry of Education, during the 2017-2018 academic year (latest data available), some 205,049 people completed master’s degrees at universities in the Iberian country.
This country, desired by Colombians to continue their academic training, grew in the number of national students by 8 percent compared to the previous period.
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Spain not only offers the facility of not having to learn another language to study abroad, but also has top-level institutions. In fact, according to the last classification QS of the best universities in the world, a total of 26 Spanish institutions are present on the list (Colombia barely has 11).
What should I keep in mind to study in Spain?
As with any educational destination, it is necessary to first do a detailed search for the graduate programs to which you can apply. This implies being clear about the area in which you want to do a master’s degree, diploma or doctorate.
Once this is defined, it is time to find the best university and the best program according to your needs. This implies being very clear about the duration of the program. In Spain, master’s degrees usually last between two and three years.
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Likewise, it is important to bear in mind that the degree abroad today can be obtained by studying from Colombia through virtual modality. There are many universities with a wide online offer, such as the University of Granada, the Polytechnic of Valencia, the University of Salamanca or the Complutense of Madrid, all of them recognized by different lists as the best in the world.
This modality allows you to have classes with teachers and other students of different nationalities and is the most appreciated by people who need to continue with their work activities. However, depending on the institution and the program, it is possible that it will be necessary to go to Spanish lands at least once during the program, especially to support graduate work.
In case of choosing face-to-face modality, there will be a need to live in Spain during the academic period, but this will be discussed later.
What requirements do Spanish universities ask for?
Each institution has its own requirements. However, there are general requirements in all of them, such as an undergraduate certificate along with the marks obtained during the study period and a motivation letter that explains the reasons for wanting to study the postgraduate degree.
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In general, these educational establishments have filters such as personal interviews and entrance tests.
How much does it cost to study in Spain?
The costs will vary if it is a public or private university, as well as if it is a qualifying degree (necessary to practice a discipline such as law or medicine) or non-qualifying degree (which are not essential to practice a profession). The latter are usually more expensive.
On average, a master’s degree in a public institution costs about 3,000 euros, a price regulated at the national level. However, private centers do not have the same regulations, so it is easy to find programs that cost from 10,000 to 90,000 euros.
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Can you access scholarships?
Yes. There are different mechanisms to access scholarships either through Colombian, Spanish or other countries institutions. For example, there are those offered by Icetex or Colfuturo, or those given by the Fulbright foundation.
Likewise, there are other little-known programs, but they are excellent options so that studying in the Iberian country is much cheaper.
Such is the case of the collaboration scholarships of the Ministry of Education of Spain to students who want to carry out research tasks with an economic endowment of € 2,000 per month, which normally open registrations in March, although given the emergency due to covid-19 they are not know the new enrollment dates.
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There are also scholarships given by the autonomous communities, such as those of the Basque Country or Andalusia, whose registrations expire in December and January 2021, respectively.
Do you need a visa?
Many have probably heard that Colombian citizens are no longer required a Schengen visa to enter the territory of Spain or any other country of the European Union.
However, this is a benefit for stays shorter than 90 days. This means that if you are going to be less than that period (only for the presentation of a thesis, for example), you should not have a visa.
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But if your purpose is to carry out your studies fully in Spanish territory, carry out research activities or exchanges for more than three months, you must have a visa.
This can be processed at the Consulate of Spain in Bogotá. It is important to clarify that there are two types of visa for students: for periods of between 90 and 180 days or for more than six months.
EDUCATION WRITING
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