Recently, many friends on the forum have been asking how applying to university in Spain for children with Spanish citizenship differs from the high-stakes entrance exams we were used to back home. Is it also a single exam that determines their entire future? As someone who has been through it, I’ll break it down for all the parents with prospective university students out there.
For students with Spanish citizenship who have finished high school in Spain, the primary route to university is by taking what’s commonly called the ‘Spanish university entrance exam.’ This process is different from, for example, the one for [Spanish citizens applying to Hong Kong universities]. The exam is officially named EBAU (or EvAU in some autonomous communities). Although many still habitually call it by its old name, Selectividad, its content and scoring system have been reformed several times. This exam is the key to admission for Spanish public universities and most private ones.
What’s on the EBAU Exam?
The exam is mainly divided into two phases: the obligatory phase (Fase General) and the voluntary phase (Fase Voluntaria). To put it simply, it’s the difference between securing a base score and aiming for a higher one.
| Phase | Subjects | Description |
|---|
| General Phase | Spanish Language and Literature, Foreign Language, History of Spain, and a core subject based on the student’s high school specialization. | Mandatory for all students, scored out of 10. |
| Voluntary Phase | Students can choose up to 4 subjects related to their desired university degree. | Each subject is scored out of 10. The two highest scores are used to add up to 4 extra points to the final grade. |
The final university admission score is out of 14 points, calculated roughly with this formula: (High School GPA * 60%) + (General Phase EBAU Score * 40%) + Score from Best Voluntary Subject 1 + Score from Best Voluntary Subject 2. The most important concept here is the “Nota de Corte,” which is what we would call the ‘cut-off score.’ This score isn’t predetermined by the university; it’s established by the score of the last student admitted to a specific degree program in a given year based on demand. Consequently, popular degrees like medicine or aerospace engineering have extremely high cut-off scores.
Besides the EBAU path, which should not be confused with the process for Spanish citizens studying at US universities, there is another important route: Advanced Vocational Training (Formación Profesional Superior, or FP). After completing a two-year FP Superior program, students can apply directly to university using their FP average grade. They can also take the voluntary phase of the EBAU to boost their total score. This is an excellent option for students who may not have excelled academically in high school but have strong practical skills and a clear career path. What field are your children preparing for? Feel free to discuss in the comments below!
