How to obtain a grant to study in Spain
As a foreign student, you are entitled to apply for certain kinds of grants to study in Spain. Here we give you information on some of the programmes that may be of interest to you.
When seeking a grant to study in Spain, remember that there are a wide variety of institutions that offer financial assistance for studying.
Some of these are reserved for foreigners residing legally in Spain (this is the case of most of the grants awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport: http://www.mecd.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano-mecd/becas-ayudas.html. In any event, remember always to check the requirements for each one.
A good option if you're planning to come and study in Spain is to look into the MAEC-AECID grants for foreigners offered by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (a part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation).
These are awarded annually and are generally aimed at postgraduate students. The following link contains information on these grants and on others offered by this organisation.
http://www.aecid.es/ES/becas-y-lectorados
Things to remember
Among the access requirements for these grants (MAEC-AECID for foreigners), you'll be expected to have a good knowledge of the Spanish language.
The financial conditions include, among other variables, a monthly amount towards board and lodging, and non-pharmacy medical insurance.
These grants are aimed at foreign citizens over the age of 18 with higher university degrees (and in some programmes, at final year university students), with a distinguished record in particular activities.
Interested candidates should be no older than 35 on the date they start the course.
You can find more information by writing to the following e-mail address: centro.informacion@aecid.es
Other grant programmes
In addition to the MAEC-AECID, remember that there are more grant programmes offered by other public institutions and universities, as well as by private institutions that have bilateral agreements between Spain and other countries.
Here are just a few:
Carolina Foundation Grant Training Programme
These are also awarded on an annual basis, and are designed to encourage further study by university graduates, and the specialisation and continued recycling for postgraduates, teachers, researchers, artists and professionals from Latin America, members of the Ibero-American Community of Nations and Portugal. You can apply online for the grant you are interested in:
http://www.fundacioncarolina.es/formacion/como-solicitar/
Santander grants
You can find all the grants offered by this institution at the following link:
http://www.becas-santander.com/
Grant from the Latin-American Postgraduate University Association (AUIP)
This association offers various programmes such as the Movilidad entre Universidades Andaluzas y Latinoamericanas (Mobility between Andalusian and Latin-American Universities) and the Movilidad Académica entre Instituciones Asociadas a la AUIP (Academic Mobility between Institutions associated to the AUIP). You'll find all the information at the following link:
http://www.auip.org/index.php/es/becas-auip
"Reina Sofía" grants
These are aimed at Spanish emigrants whose spouses and children live abroad and wish to pursue university studies in Spain, and do not have the financial resources. To find out the schedule for each particular grant award, go to:
http://www.mecd.gob.es/portada-mecd/
If you're also interested in grants for Mobility Programmes like Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus; the FARO Global grants (which promote the mobility of final year students in all Spanish universities); the ARGO Global grants (for graduates of Spanish universities); and the Leonardo da Vinci programme in general as well as in its other types of grants, we recommend you check the following reports:
Spain in Europe
Assured quality
For more information on the options for obtaining a grant, the best approach is to contact the Spanish Embassy in your country of origin, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Spain, or the university or school where you're interested in studying.
Below you'll find three useful search engines to search for grants from the University Foundation, the Universia portal and the Cervantes Institute:
http://www.universidad.es/buscador-becas
http://becas.universia.es/ES/index.jsp
http://www.cervantes.es/bibliotecas_documentacion_espanol/becas_extranjeros_espana/becas_instituciones.htm
Things to remember
Always make sure to find out the conditions of each grant, as some of them may require you to provide proof of Spanish nationality.
Check to see whether there are any grants or financial assistance available from the official educational bodies in your country, or from other public and private institutions that provide grants and/or loans for education.
In addition, we recommend that you always contact the academic institution (universities, business schools, Spanish language schools…) where you're planning to study in Spain, as most of them offer their own grants to foreigners, as well as providing a range of financing options.
You may also be interested in the following report:
How much does it cost to study in Spain?.
