12 Spanish scholarship for university studies and beyond

The end of summer means it’s time to get back to business as usual—and for students, that means heading back to school. For those that finished their Bachillerato (or high-school diploma) or have graduated from university, you might be looking for further studies to continue your education. 

First, you’ll need to decide what you want to study, and what programs most match up with your experience and current grades. Once you’ve found the right course of study, scout out the universities that offer that degree, training, or postgraduate program.

While studying in Europe is generally more affordable than places like the United States, university fees and the overall cost of living as a student can still bring a heavy financial burden. But don’t let financial fear keep you from following your dreams—we’ve put together a list of university scholarships and aid offered by regional governments and the state to help you pay your way. Read on for everything you need to know about applications, deadlines, and more.

The Ministry of Education and Professional Training (MEFP in Spanish) offers scholarships that provide a combination of one fixed payment and one varying payment.

The fixed part of every scholarship is set each academic year. It’s made up of a matriculation payment that covers the cost of your course credits, a payment of up to €1,700 (this will depend on your family’s income), a payment of €1,600 to assist with accommodation changes during the academic year, and another amount between €50 and €125, depending on your academic achievement.

The variable part of the scholarship comes from the money left over from the total budget after all the fixed-amount scholarships are distributed. To calculate this amount, they factor in both your GPA and your family’s income to arrive at a fair number for every student.

To apply for an MEPT grant, you’ll have to be matriculated or in the process of matriculating for one of the following courses:

• University access courses for people over 25 (public university courses only).
• Master’s or bachelor’s courses. These include bachelor’s and master’s courses in universities of the Defense and the Spanish Civil Guard, complementary credits, or training complements for accessing or obtaining the master’s or bachelor’s degree.

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The Regional Government of Andalusia puts a good number of scholarships towards helping people who can’t afford to get an education on their own. If you want to study in Andalusia, you’ll have the choice of the following types of scholarships and financial aid:

• The 6,000 Scholarship—This is available for Bachillerato students and first- and second-year intermediate Professional Training students. To receive this grant, you must belong to a family registered with the Regional Government of Andalusia. What’s more, your family’s total income must be below €5,571.50 for a family of three, or below €9,038.00 for a family of five.
• The Adriano Scholarship—This is exclusively financed by the Regional Government of Andalusia. It was created for all people wishing to take a Bachillerato-level course, a post-secondary or advanced professional training course (CFGM or CFGS), or a professional and advanced art studies or sports studies course. Here you’ll find all the information you need to apply for the Adriano scholarship.

On the Canary Islands government website, you’ll find all the information on study support that’s offered in the European Higher Education Area, as well as information on scholarships for people taking modality-A Dual Professional Training courses and modality-B courses. Check out the website for more details.

The Canary Islands Government also offers transport grants to cover the costs that come with studying outside your home island, whether you go to the Canaries or to the rest of Spain. 

As well as the Ministry of Education and Professional Training Scholarships, the Community of Madrid has a number of other programs you can apply for. These are funded partly by the state and partly by private sources. You can apply through the Community’s website. Here’s a list of some of the aid available in the Community of Madrid:

• Scholarships Providing Experience in University Departments—Available to final-year bachelor’s students or first-year Master’s students. These scholarships last seven months and provide grants of €2,000. You’ll also need an average grade of 8.00 in Arts and Humanities, 7.25 in Engineering and Architecture or Technical Studies, or 7.8 in Health Sciences.
• Scholarships for Professional Training, Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, Digital Skills, and English—These programs were created to improve the employability of disabled people by boosting training in sectors with the best employment opportunities.
• Executive Optimus—This program is organized by the Fundación Universidad-Empresa (University-Enterprise Foundation) and the Francisco de Vitoria University. The minimum monthly payment is €800. The goal of this scholarship is to facilitate access to the job market through company internship, for graduates who are under 30 and don’t have any professional experience related to their university studies.

The Basque government offers scholarships and financial aid for students in official bachelor’s or master’s programs. You can only apply to this scholarship online. Your courses have to exceed 60 credits (without including transfer credits, recognized credits or converted credits) to be eligible for aid. There’s no academic performance requirement for first-time applicants. 

The scholarship can be used to pay matriculation fees directly to the university, if the students haven’t paid them yet, or it can pay the students directly if they’ve already covered the fees ahead of their application. The scholarship amount is calculated based on the applicant’s financial and academic status. On the Basque Government’s Department for Education website, you’ll find all the information you need on application deadlines and more.

Those who want to study in Valencia might be entitled to salary scholarships, if their family doesn’t have the means to support them financially. To receive the scholarship, you have to apply in your first year of studies. The average monthly amount paid during the academic year is €600, and this amount is dependent on the student’s academic performance. You have to apply for this scholarship online within a month of the day the Ministry of Innovation, Universities, Sciences, and Digital Society publishes its resolution. 

The AGAUR scholarships are awarded according to the information on general university scholarships, published annually by the Ministry for Education and Professional Training. They’re available to students studying official bachelor’s or master’s courses in Catalonia and with the Catalonia Open University (UOC).

The Equity Scholarships are another Catalan program, created for bachelor’s students in Catalan public universities. This aid is mainly designed to reduce the costs of university matriculation, based on the income of the student’s family. These scholarships only cover first-time credits and don’t apply to master’s degrees. If applicants are taking courses in two universities at the same time, the aid will be put towards the most expensive matriculation to help you save as much as possible.

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