Study in Spain: A Graduate-Level Guide

After Chinese Mandarin, Spanish is the world’s second largest mother tongue. It’s also the second most used language in international communication, and the third most used on the internet.

So universities in Spain justifiably emphasize the benefits of learning Spanish, for university graduates headed for careers in an increasingly globalized world.

“The advantage of having fluency in Spanish cannot be overstated – particularly with the increasing emergence of Latin American economies,” says Elena Liquete, MBA program director at the University of Navarra’s IESE Business School.

CESINE’s Jorge Gutiérrez Breñosa seconds this, adding: “Studying in Spain enables students to fully understand the way business is done in Europe and in Spanish-speaking countries and to discover a market with some 600 million potential customers.”

To fully understand what motivates so many students to study in Spain, it’s also necessary to delve a little deeper into the locations of the universities, which include some of Europe’s best known and loved cities.

Many of the highest ranking universities in Spain are based in the two largest cities – Madrid and Barcelona. Both are well known for their culture and nightlife, along with high quality of life, internationally diverse populations, and in Barcelona’s case at least, an appealing Mediterranean climate and close proximity to the beach.  

Jorge Pantoja, an Ecuadorian master’s student at UPF’s Barcelona School of Management, says Barcelona lives up to its reputation: “This is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain and the world, where a high academic level, professionalism and lifestyle are combined.”

While Madrid and Barcelona are probably the best known cities in Spain, they’re certainly not its only attractive locations. Anastasia Samylovskaya, a Russian graduate student currently at CESINE, says she loves the university’s location in Santander, a port city on the northern coast. Her favorite things about life here are “the beautiful beaches, the weather, the food and how friendly the people are.”

However, Anastasia’s claim that Santander is “the only city in Spain where you can surf and ski on the same day” might be disputed by the inhabitants of Pamplona – about 250km to the south-east, and home to the University of Navarra. Wishart describes Pamplona as “a place of great beauty, bordered by the Pyrenees and the rich Rioja vineyards, within an hour's drive of the beach for swimming or the mountains for skiing.”

Tuition fees for Masters and PhD programs in Spain are regulated by the government at both public and private universities, and charged on a per-credit basis. Costs vary depending on the subject and course length; a Masters is typically one or two years, and a PhD between three and five years.

Living costs in Spain can also vary significantly, with cities like Madrid and Barcelona tending to come with a higher price tag. The Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) advises international students to budget €700 to €1,000 (about US$900-1,300) per month to cover accommodation, travel, food and other expenses.

Students from EU countries do not need a visa to study in Spain, but should apply for a Número de Identificación de Extranjero (Foreign National Identity Number) on arrival – this is needed for tasks such as opening a bank account or accessing health services.

Those from most countries beyond the EU need a visa if intending to spend more than three months in Spain. This can be processed via the nearest Spanish embassy or consulate once an official offer of a place has been received from a university.

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