Selectividad
In order to enroll in higher education for the first year, as the Spanish and foreign students must pass the exam PAAU (Pruebas de Aptitud para Acceso a la Universidad), which is often called the Selectividad. Passes the exam is usually in secondary schools – for their graduate or preparatory courses at institutions of higher education – for graduates of these courses. You can take it in absentia – in UNED (Universidad Nacional de Education a Distancia), but for foreigners without specific training it is rarely possible.
The exam consists of two parts:
In the first determine the general level of education, the second part of the exam – testing in subjects selected entrant – a humanitarian or natural. Grade is on a 10-point scale, but it turns out as the average for the answers to questions. And the certificate is exposed aggregate result, which also takes into account and the average score of the school-leaving certificate.
Selectividad guarantees admission to state universities, but the more prestigious universities, the higher pass rate.
There are several ways to prepare for the exam Selectividad
- training in Spanish secondary school (not in public – there do not accept foreigners) in two-year Bachillerato followed by an examination in the same school;
- training on a one-year program of accelerated training to pass Selectividad in private Spanish schools or boarding schools after high school;
- training in Spain for long-term language courses to attend classes to prepare for the exam Selectividad in the evening.
In addition to passing the exam Selectividad foreign applicants must also to document their knowledge of the Spanish language.
The official exam is DELE (Diploma de Espan ~ ol como Lengua Extranjera), you can prepare for it in many language schools in Spain and abroad. The exam may be taken only twice a year – in May and November, the registration of candidates is carried out in good time, on schedule and according to certain rules.
It should also be borne in mind that the foreign citizens for filing documents in higher education in Spain (as in programs of higher and postgraduate education) is required to undergo the procedure of recognition of education attained (homologacion) in the Ministry of Education of Spain (Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deportes, MECD). This is a long process that can take up to six months, so preparation for university you need to start early.