Spanish Universities

[Calmmumnot]

Has anyone looked at universities in Spain? My DS is keen to study there combining politics or IR and Spanish. Would really appreciate any insights. Also, any summer camps/schools recommended? Thanks

He wants to do his entire degree there?

Yes I live in Spain and I am friends with Brits who studied in Spain for their degrees. Lots do.

Lots do a year in Spain as part of their degree

Lots of British students do not move to Spain and do their entire degree there

Assuming you mean the main state universities, the offer and experience is vastly different to the UK. Much more traditional in pedagogical approach and less welfare services etc. Lots going on but tends to be independently arranged by students themselves. Depending on which university many students will commute or at least go home for the weekends.

Not true at all.
That's exactly what they did. Of course some do a year depending on the course but many do the full degree

@Calmmumnot

What would the fees be? We are not EU so presumably international fees apply. As others have said, if you are uk based, you can study in Spain for a year. This makes the course he wants 4 years. The uk universities will have links with Spanish universities and students go for y3.

If you are Spanish, why is he studying Spanish? If he's post A level Spanish, is his Spanish good enough to be taught 100% in Spanish from y1 in Spain? Most uk students go for y3 after 2 years of degree level study.

What’s your basis for that?

For a start, It would require fluency in Spanish to a very very very strong degree to undertake your entire degree in Spain

something that is not commonplace in the UK

Most uk British students are not fluent in Spanish. As a result they cannot access teaching well enough in Spanish from y1. A level is not good enough. If DC are half Spanish and native speakers, that's different. Even then most uk based students do 3rd year abroad. They don't do Spanish degrees at Spanish universities from y1. Plus why would they study Spanish if they could already access the teaching? The op says it's to study Spanish.

I don’t know if that’s true. Rough fluency would be enough as you’d get it up to speed during the first few years. (I did study abroad in a foreign language myself so have some idea of what it takes.)
Alternatively you can take some or all modules in English if you choose an English-taught course.

Rough fluency in English wouldn’t be sufficient to undertake an academic degree in the UK

a s the same applies to Spain

added to which, not many 18 year olds in this country have a rough fluency in any foreign language!

He is thinking of doing his entire course there. Apparently some are taught in English & Spanish. We are English therefore doing an A Level in Spanish. Keeping options open as looking in UK and Spain, hence looking for advice if anyone has been through this or going through it.

Nailed it

So he will have a level Spanish? And that’s it? But he won’t be remotely fluent even with an A grade
unless his family speak Spanish at home

The requirement for studying many courses in the UK is a B2 level of English, which in practice isn’t all that high.
Of course, most English people are monolingual but perhaps someone already interested in studying abroad has some level of competence, and, more importantly, motivation.

I studied at a Spanish university for a year. They are vastly different to British or American ones in terms of input into the students’ choices, support, that sort of thing. Most of the students live at home. I found it difficult

If he wants to study STEM some do indeed teach in English

There is IE which is taught in English. Has dual programmes that include IR, I guess Spanish can be taken at an additional minor level or elective, not looked into it in detail.

2 sites - Madrid and Segovia. I assume you'd need to source accommodation in private rental, more for those who can cope with independent living vs halls, not for the faint hearted.

@ealingwestmum IE is on the list as I understand they do teach in English. Yes, need to look at the accommodation as if most live or go home then would be very lonely.

He would need to be quite outgoing and prepared to make a lot of effort to have a good time as, as PP have said, there won’t be the level of organisation or community that you would find in the the UK. However, if he is in a city such as Madrid or Barcelona there are plenty of young people from all around the world so he wouldn’t have to be without a social circle (though people would likely be a few years older than him). It just wouldn’t be the classic UK university experience.

From this site
https://www.studying-in-spain.com/plan-your-studies/universities/english-taught-universities-in-spain/
it seems that the University of Navarra offers a 4 year degree in International Relations, taught in English and Spanish.
https://en.unav.edu/web/degree-in-international-relations

Studying in Spain says "Depending on the teaching field you choose to pursue, tuition fees start at €11,000 per year and can reach the amount of €19,000 per year." Then there's living costs, of course.

I believe a non-EU citizen on a student visa can work up to 30 hours a week, if they can find a job or jobs and fit it in with studying. Studying in Spain says "On average, an international student working part-time in Spain earns from €300 to €800 per month. This amounts to an hourly pay of €8 to €10 (the minimum wage per hour in Spain is €8.87)."

What advantage is there in doing this? No student loan so very expensive. Are these world class universities?

It was sourced as a potential place of study by those who were also considering Bocconi (a while ago, my DD her A levels in 2022 and is humanities so was not of interest to her as an option). Whilst Bocconi rated higher, the reputation of IE was considered good, though I myself am not a follower of world rankings.

But, most who applied did have a native home connection/relatives, the home living for those is real, some of her peers staying with GPs. That said, it is down to the personality of your DC as the PP has said, on how open they are to mixing from an independent living basis.

Even Y3 of being taught solely in Spanish in Spain is tough for non-natives, and different parts of Spain will through up regional dialect challenges, which mine is experiencing now, and her Spanish is very strong. Nothing insurmountable, but worth being conscious about as there are no concessions made for non-Spanish students when studying competitive course modules.

Good luck to your DC though for considering his options as the UK is not the be all it used to be, even with access to SF.

Re the point on world class universities @TizerorFizz , I don't know the answer. Anecdotally, I can say that those within my DD's peer group of study are not experiencing an issue in securing internships and other opportunities, These types of places tend to approach academic study with a more entrepreneurial business style, making students more marketable vs less (in my anecdotal opinion). World rankings are not the issue, if their conversion in the recruitment process is leading to results.

Well y3 MFL students do attend Spanish universities and succeed. It's a well trodden route. However they might not need to pass any exams there as uk unis might not require that they even sit them. Thousands who are not native speakers manage the year abroad but if you are choosing a uni teaching in English, costing more than here, what advantage is there in this subject? You would be better off at UCL or similar.

My friends having done it!