Hello, #Vivers! Today we bring good news. On May 4, 2023, the Vice Minister of National Education of Colombia and the Ministers of Universities and Education and Vocational Training of Spain signed a new study collaboration agreement. Thanks to this, studying in Spain as a Colombian is now a little easier; However, there are some points that should be clarified. In this article we tell you everything you need to know if you are a Colombian student and are thinking of entering a Spanish university.
What does the study agreement between Spain and Colombia detail?
As can be seen in the BOE 118 of May 18, 2023 or Icfes page (Colombian Institute for the Evaluation of Education), the agreement agrees on mutual recognition of high school diplomas and the state tests saber 11 (Colombia) and EBAU (Spain). This means that students who wish to study in Spain as Colombians will not necessarily have to homologate their bachelor's degree. A relationship is thus established between the EBAU grade and the knowledge test grade 11. In addition, the equivalence of high school degrees is also established.
This study agreement between Colombia and Spain not only focuses on the bachelor's degree, but also applies to all degrees that allow access to higher education in Colombia. Furthermore, Spanish students who wish to study in Colombia will be able to access university in that country with any degree that allows access to university in Spain.
How do I calculate the EBAU grade if I have taken the Saber 11 state test?
Following what is dictated in the agreement, the relationship established between the Saber 11 tests and the Spanish EBAU follows a series of formulas depending on the score obtained. The proposed formulas are the following:
For a grade 'n' in the test, know 11 greater than or equal to 200 points and less than 350 points:
Access grade Spain: (n-12,5)/37,5
For a grade 'n' of the test know 11 greater than or equal to 350 and less than 400 points:
Spain access note: (n+212,5)/62,5
For a grade 'n' of the test, know 11 greater than or equal to 400 and up to 500 points
Spain access note: (n+4500)/500
For example, a Colombian student who got a score of 375 points must use the formula
(n+212,5)/62,5
So your entrance grade in Spain would be: (375+212,5)/62,5= 9,4
The table shown below shows some reference values for the grade in the Saber 11 test and its equivalent grade in EBAU:
| Note know 11 (from 0 to 500) | EBAU equivalent grade (from 0 to 10) |
| 200 | 5,00 |
| 250 | 6,33 |
| 300 | 7,66 |
| 350 | 9,00 |
| 400 | 9,80 |
| 450 | 9,90 |
| 500 | 10,00 |
In what cases would the student have to homologate their high school diploma?
The study agreement between Colombia and Spain makes it possible to avoid having to homologate the Colombian or Spanish high school diploma on a mandatory basis. However, there will be occasions when to study in Spain as a Colombian, it will be necessary to carry out the homologation and even take the specific skills test (PCE). This test provides an access grade to Spanish universities for students with a foreign baccalaureate. You can find more information about her at this link. Below we will mention some details to consider about the agreement:
- The agreement only allows you to obtain a maximum EBAU grade of 10. In Spain, the university entrance grade follows a scale that goes from 0 to 14. Therefore, students who wish to access careers with high cut-off grades must necessarily homologate their degree. In addition, they must take the specific phase of the PCE test. For example, a Colombian student who wants to study medicine in Spain will have to homologate his degree and take one to four exams to be able to achieve the required grade.
- Students with a score less than 200 points are excluded. If the grade obtained in the knowledge 11 test is less than 200 points, you will not be able to enjoy the benefits of the agreement. In this case, you must proceed through the homologation of the Colombian bachelor's degree and take the specific skills test (PCEUNEDassis).
Other aspects to take into account about the study agreement between Colombia and Spain
In addition to the cases in which the high school diploma must be homologated, it must be taken into account that students who take advantage of the agreement may not be guaranteed access to the university for other reasons:
- Having an EBAU grade higher than the cut-off grade for the desired degree does not guarantee access to a Spanish university. We have commented on this point on several occasions, such as in our post on what is cut-off mark. If there are many students with the same grade or higher applying for a degree, obtaining a place is not guaranteed. That is why you should always try to obtain the highest grade possible.
- It is possible that some university may request its own admission requirements.. The education agreement signed between Colombia and Spain does not prevent the universities of both countries from imposing any test or requirement necessary for admission. This is not very common in public Spanish universities, although it is important to find out about the degree you want to study and the universities that offer it.
This study agreement between Colombia and Spain is very interesting for all Colombian students who wish to study a degree in Spain with a cut-off grade equal to or less than 10 points. However, for careers with a high cut-off mark such as medicine or engineering, it will still be necessary to validate the bachelor's degree and take the PCEUNEDassis tests. If you want to know more about how to study in Spain as a Colombian in this article you will find all the information. If you are thinking of studying at a Spanish university, at the Luis Vives Study Center we are always willing to advise and guide our students with our preparation courses for the PCEUNEDassis tests. Our experience preparing future university students supports us, contact us!
Good evening, I am Colombian with residence in Spain, I have a Colombian high school diploma, I do not want to do any university degree in Spain, what I want is to get a job but they ask me for the ESO degree, what should I do, thank you
Hi Ernesto:
In this case, the only thing you have to do is homologate your Colombian Bachelor's degree with the Spanish system. Given that the Baccalaureate degree is a higher qualification than the ESO, it should be perfectly suitable for you to enter that job.
A greeting.
What an interesting article. But I want to ask you, I have my diploma and degree right with me here in Spain, what should I do with them to be able to enter university to study civil engineering or architecture?
Hello Jose!
Thank you for your words. You can request from the Ministry of Education a homologation (if yours is a regulated career) or an equivalence (if it is a non-regulated career). If you obtain the homologation of your degree, you can apply for a place at the university through access to graduates or equivalents. In Madrid, this procedure is carried out in June.
In this way you will obtain recognition of your degree in our country. If this process takes too long or you encounter difficulties in achieving it, you can access the university using your high school and SABER11 test scores, or only your high school grades, as we detail in this article.
A greeting.
Good afternoon, I would like to ask a question, I am currently in Spain, I arrived as a tourist but I am interested in a FP that I found here in Spain. I have my High School Diploma and my score on the Saber 11 tests was 316. Would this agreement apply to me? me?
Hello Andrea:
According to the terms of the agreement, your Colombian High School Diploma would be recognized in Spain and you would not need to homologate it to access a FP. However, we recommend that you confirm this information with the Spanish Ministry of Education.
A greeting.
Good morning, I have my diploma in Colombia. Where is it most advisable to do the procedure? Should I send it to be apostilled and with all the requirements or should someone do the process for me from there?
Hi David!
Although you can do it in either of the two ways, normally students apostille the documents in their country of origin and homologate their degrees once they arrive in Spain.
A greeting.
Good night. I am in the province of Las Palmas, in Lanzarote. Here where can I go or how should I go about homologating my degree? I am a nurse and I want to practice here. Please can you guide me. thank you.
Hi Anny:
For procedures related to the homologation of foreign degrees, you must contact any delegation of the Ministry of Education in the national territory.
A greeting.
Good morning, my son has a Colombian high school diploma but he did not take the knowledge 11 tests and now he wants to study in Spain, what should he do?
Hi Kelly,
If you have not taken the Saber 11 tests, you will not be able to benefit from the agreement, so you will have to homologate your high school diploma and take the PCE tests.
A greeting.
Good morning! As a Colombian student with the intention of pursuing intermediate-level vocational training in Spain, it is essential to take into account the necessary requirements for the validation of your studies. In this context, could the approval of your credentials be a key aspect to carry out this process? Or can I access the training with the UNEDasiss accreditation?
Hi Kevin:
The UNEDasiss accreditation requires that you validate your Colombian studies. By doing so, these approved studies will open the doors to vocational training, including higher education, whose range is higher than the intermediate level.
A greeting.
Hello, good afternoon, I have a high school degree from Colombia, and I want to study in Spain a technical career as a nursing assistant, to do the residency through training, is it necessary to homologate my degree? I'll stay tuned, thank you
Hello Mary:
Yes, to apply for admission to an approved higher technical training you will need to validate your Baccalaureate degree.
A greeting.
Good morning, I am not very clear about what the homologation process is like, my high school diploma and my technology degree are in Colombia, what should I do, according to what I read in one of the comments, correct me if I am wrong, first it is apostilled in Colombia and then the original documents are presented at the Colombian embassy in Spain, which documents as such must be apostilled?
Hello! Thanks for write. You must apostill your academic documents (your degree and your grades from recent years) at the Embassy. With this, you can carry out the approval process electronically, or in Spain once you have arrived. All the best!
Hello, I am in the Canary Islands. I have my Sena technology apostilled from Colombia. Should I also apostill it in Spain to be able to get a job?
Hello Yesenia:
It is always advisable to homologate your foreign studies to give them validity in Spain. If you already have it apostilled, it is not necessary to apostill it again here.
A greeting.
Good afternoon, I am Colombian, I live in Valencia, I want to study Hairdressing and Barbering in Spain, I have a Bachelor's degree, Degree Certificate and Diploma already apostilled, I want to know if I have to homologate my degree. If so, where should I go to carry out the process.
Thank you very much.
Hello! With these documents apostilled, you can make an appointment at any Government Delegation in Valencia to request the approval of your studies. All the best.
Hello, I am a systems engineer and systems technology graduate in Colombia with a professional card. I want to do a middle or higher level vocational training course, but my test was the ICFES, not the Saber tests, since they did not exist at that time. Can I benefit from the agreement? Thank you.
Hi Jackeline,
The agreement is only applicable to students who wish to attend university in Spain.
In your case, to access a medium or higher level FP, you will simply have to validate your high school diploma.
A greeting.
hello !! Thank you very much for explaining in detail the homologation of studies and that is why I would like to ask you, I am a lawyer with a specialization from an accredited university in Colombia and I would like to continue studying in Spain, in that sense, would I only have to homologate my degree and my specialization or also my bachelor's degree? ? thank you very much for the response
Hello. Thank you for reading us. It will be enough to validate your higher education, since these “encompass” the high school diploma. In any case, when you go to carry out the approval, we recommend that you consult with the technician who assists you, so that they can guide you on whether it is convenient to also approve your Bachelor's studies.
Good,
I have my Colombian high school diploma and in Switzerland I completed a technical study as an early childhood educator. Now I want to study a career or degree online in Spain. This is possible?
Thank you very much
Hello Karen. If what you want is to study the degree online, then it will be with a private university. In that case, we recommend that you contact them directly so that they can tell you what documentation you will need for admission. If you want to study online with the UNED, you would have to homologate your studies and request information about whether you must access with your bachelor's degree (through the PCE UNEDasiss), or if they recognize your Swiss degree to access online. university graduate route. We hope we have helped you. All the best.
Hello, I am carrying out the process of homologation of the bachelor's degree, which will begin in November 2023, I would like to know what I should do to homologate the ICFES, and what the cost of this procedure is. And yes, to do so I must already be clear in which university I want to study. Thank you so much.
Hi Jessica:
For the doubts that you indicate to us, it is best that you contact the UNED directly, and that they tell you the documentation that they will require and whether it must be approved or simply apostilled.
A greeting.
Hi!
I am Colombian, I have my high school degree in Colombia, and I am interested in entering a higher degree FP, should I homologate my high school degree or is it not necessary with this agreement?
Hi Alejandra:
In principle it should not be necessary, since the agreement agrees on mutual recognition of the high school diplomas of both countries. However, we recommend that you confirm it directly with the Spanish Ministry of Education.
A greeting.
Hello, I wanted to know if I can homologate my high school degree with a Spanish passport since the Colombian one has expired and it is impossible for me to make an appointment to renew
Hi Bea:
Homologation is a procedure that you must carry out at the Spanish Ministry of Education, so they are the ones who will be able to resolve this question for you.
Greetings.
I already have my bachelor's degree approved in Colombia but I don't know if I should do it along with the grades as well, they are only asking me for it in a job and I don't know if it is necessary to do it with the grades in the office in Spain
Hello Karen:
Since you tell us that they are asking you for it in a job, the most convenient thing would be for you to ask them directly how they need this approval to be done.
A greeting.
Hello, excellent information you provide.
In my case, I am Colombian, I obtained my bachelor's degree in 1995. I currently live in Spain with a residence permit. I brought with me my apostilled and legalized high school diploma, just that since the school from which I graduated from high school closed its doors and no longer exists, that school sent to the Colombian Ministry of Education only the information that I received, I finished my high school in that school and that's why they apostilled my diploma at the secretary of education
but that school did not send information about the grades obtained. My question is that only with the apostilled diploma can I homologate my studies in Spain.
thank you very much happy day
all the best
Hello Francisco:
The best thing is that you raise these doubts directly with the Ministry of Education of Spain, which is the body in charge of homologations, and that they tell you if your apostilled degree is enough or if you need something else to be able to homologate it.
A greeting.
Hello, I want to do a higher vocational training in Spain and I will have a high school degree in Colombia soon. What should I do?
Thank you
Hello Alberto:
In principle, according to the terms of the agreement, your Colombian high school diploma allows you to access a higher vocational training in Spain without needing to homologate it. However, we recommend that you confirm this information with the Spanish Ministry of Education.
A greeting.
Hello, I would like to do a higher vocational training, for this my high school certificate must be homologated and if so, if it is only going to be processed now that registrations begin while the homologation comes out, could you accept me like this?
Hi Patricia:
In principle it should not be necessary to homologate it, since the agreement agrees on mutual recognition of the high school diplomas of both countries. However, we recommend that you confirm it directly with the Spanish Ministry of Education.
A greeting.
Hello, at UNED they gave me an accreditation with a grade of 8,54, would this be enough for me to study physical activity and sports sciences?
Hello Daniel:
It will depend on the cut-off mark of that degree at the university you want to attend and the marks you have obtained in the subjects of the specific part.
A greeting.
Best regard:
My name is Jose, I validated my high school diploma in Colombia in a single exam, as such the ICFES issued me the academic high school degree. My question is whether this title can be homologated in Spain? This with the aim of being able to access a job.
Thanks for your quick response
Hello Jose:
For this question, it is best that you go directly to the Ministry of Education of Spain and they will tell you if you can approve it.
A greeting.
Hello
I have all the documents to apply for UNEDassis accreditation, my question is prior to this, is there any age range or requirement in this regard to access the university? I am 27 years old.
Thank you.
Good morning, Sergio:
No, age is not a requirement. If you have your Baccalaureate approved or in process, you can request UNEDasiss accreditation.
A greeting.
Good evening, I am Colombian and I have my high school diploma, I want to apply for training with a professional certificate.
I have already requested my grade certificates but to seal them at the Colombian Secretary of Education they say that it is no longer done physically but by email. My question is, don't these documents have to be the originals and have the original seal for the apostille? Thank you very much for your reply
Hello, Yenifer:
For this question, it is best that you go directly to the organization where you are going to apostille the documentation and that they tell you how you should present it.
A greeting.
Hello, greetings and thank you first for the article.
I would like to study in Spain and I have my technical bachelor's degree in Colombia and Saber 11 tests with a score of 264. According to that, my EBAU equivalent grade is 6.7, which I consider quite low. What should I do in this case? Submit tests or could you also approve the high school diploma?
Hello Santiago:
Everything will depend on the cut-off grade of the degree you want to access. If this is higher than 6,7, you will have to approve your baccalaureate and take the PCE tests to be able to reach the grade you need.
A greeting.
Good evening, thank you very much for the article, I finished high school last year in Bogotá, I want to study biomedical engineering at one of the universities in Madrid that offer the degree (autonomous, poltecnico or Carlos III, with the new agreement I would only need the qualification of the icfes state tests and the high school diploma, or would I also have to take an admission exam? It is not clear to me if the agreement alone with homologating the test scores of Colombia and Spain would be enough.
Thank you very much
Juan Diego
Hello, Juan Diego:
As the entrance grade for the career you want to study is above 10, you will have to validate your high school diploma and take the PCE to be able to raise the grade you have obtained in the knowledge 11 tests.
A greeting.
Good evening, interesting article, I have several questions.
My bachelor's degree is Venezuelan but I have it approved by resolution in Colombia. Does that resolution help me to study there, for example, a FP? Or should I also approve it in Spain?
Another question, is the equivalence of a technological degree (6 semesters) or a professional degree (10 semesters) valid to work in Spain? Since my degrees are for equivalence but not homologation, or should I do a master's degree to give continuity to my studies and thus be able to work in Spain?
Stay tuned, thank you very much.
Hello Yudeisy:
For these doubts, it is best that you go directly to the Spanish Ministry of Education and they will tell you if you should also homologate your degrees in Spain or it is not necessary.
A greeting.
Hello, how are you, I cannot apply for homologation since the school where I finished high school closed and there is no way to get the certificates. In fact, in a move I lost the diploma and I only have it scanned. In Spain I studied in CP level 3 Now I want to study a higher vocational training but one of the requirements is to approve the baccalaureate and due to the situation I mentioned I cannot do it. Is there any way to access it?
Hi Diego:
One option you have is to take the access tests to Higher Level Training Cycles. You have all the information about the requirements to apply and about the preparation courses that we teach in this page of our website.
A greeting.
Hello !!
Thank you very much for the information. I want to homologate my university degree in Spain, first do I have to homologate the bachelor's degree?
As a tourist, can I start any homologation process?
Hi Shara,
The best thing is that you ask directly at the Ministry of Education of Spain, and that they explain to you what steps you must follow.
A greeting.
hello . I am Colombian, I have been one year away from finishing my high school in Colombia, could at least the ESO be homologated? Thank you
Hello Daniela:
The best thing is that you ask directly at the Ministry of Education of Spain and that they tell you the options you have in order to validate your studies.
A greeting.
Best regard.
I am currently in Spain and I want to homologate my nursing assistant degree, my question is the following since I have seen different opinions and this confuses me. All documents must be apostilled? or only degree certificate and diploma. The thing is that apostilling all the documents would be super expensive.
I thank you very much for your response as I want to move forward in this process.
Hello Dassy:
The best thing is that you ask directly at the Ministry of Education of Spain, and that they explain to you what steps you must follow.
A greeting.
Hello, I am Colombian and I have a question about whether, apart from the ICFES 11, since I have an equivalence to an EBAU 8,9, how should I add the average high school grade to this previous grade and if it would be necessary to do the specific tests.
Hello Natalia:
The EBAU grade in Spain is calculated taking into account the high school grade and the selectivity exams. For students from Colombia who have taken the Saber 11 tests, an equivalent EBAU grade is established according to your score. If the degree you want to access has a cut-off mark lower than the grade of your equivalence (8,9 in your case), it is not necessary that you take the PCE exams, but if the cut-off mark of the degree you want to access is higher, you will have to take the specific PCE subjects in order to raise your grade.
A greeting.
Good afternoon
I study virtually in Spain, I have a high school degree from Colombia and I did the process and they gave me the approval flyer, but now I don't know what happened next, could you please guide me
Hello isbael:
Once you receive the final homologation document, you can choose to continue your studies, either by trying to access the university, taking the PCE tests if necessary, or by completing a Higher Level Training Cycle, to which the title of Approved high school gives you direct access.
A greeting.
Hello, I am Colombian. I have the apostilled degree certificate and the duplicate diploma applied because the original one deteriorated. I have a grade of 11. I am not interested in the university, but taking a 4-month course. Yes...this is valid for me to homologate or not, it is not necessary. homologate by the agreement of the kingdom of Spain and Colombia
Hello, Johanna:
In this case, it is best to ask directly where you are going to take the 4-month course if they require you to have an approved degree or if it is not necessary.
A greeting.
Good Night
I am Colombian, I recently arrived in Spain, in Colombia I am currently studying 9 semesters of Civil Engineering, is it possible to finish my professional career in Spain? I am also a technician in architectural drawing of the Seine, and a technologist in civil constructions at PCJIC headquarters rionegro, ant; The idea is to be able to homologate the degrees already obtained and finish, if possible, my last semester in Spain? Is this possible, if so, please can you guide me.
Thank you very much!
Hello, Francy:
In order to finish your Civil Engineering studies in Spain, you first have to take the university entrance exams. Once completed, if you obtain the necessary grade and manage to access the degree at a university, you will have to enroll in it, and once enrolled, you will be able to request validation of everything you have already completed in Colombia and only do what you do not want. have been validated to obtain your degree.
Regarding homologations, to request them you have to go directly to the Ministry of Education of Spain, which is the body in charge of the homologations of foreign degrees and have them tell you what the procedure to follow would be.
A greeting.
Good afternoon, I wanted to ask you, I have a score of 232 points, would this be worth it for FP? Or not? Thank you
Hello Laura:
The equivalence between marks from the Saber 11 and EvAU tests is only applicable for university access.
To access FP, the grade that they will take into account is that of the approved baccalaureate.
A greeting.
Hello, I am a Colombian student and I had to drop out of high school in the tenth year of high school. Do not present tests know 11. and I am 17 years old, which is no longer mandatory in Spain to finish high school. I would like to do a FP, what should I do? Or do I have to do yes or yes the last year in Spain?
Hello Laura:
To be able to access a higher degree vocational training cycle in Spain, it is a requirement to have a high school diploma. Another option to gain access is to take the entrance exams, but to be able to take the exams you must be 19 years old or turn XNUMX in the year in which you take the tests, so at the moment you would not be able to take the exams.
A greeting.
Hello, I am Colombian, born in 1975, I have a high school diploma by validation and the result of the icfes test of 300. I would like to take a higher FP in computer science, what do I need to do?
Thank you
Hello Daniel:
To access a Higher Level Training Cycle you will simply have to validate your high school diploma, since this qualification gives you direct access.
A greeting.
Hello, I have a degree in Law in Colombia, what should I do to homologate the degree? And if I want to study another career or training in Spain, do I need to validate my ICFE?
Hello, Natalie:
To homologate your university degree, you have to go to the Spanish Ministry of Education, which is the body in charge of homologations.
If what you want is to study another degree here in Spain, if you have taken the Saber 11 tests, it may not be necessary for you to homologate your high school degree, although it will depend on the cut-off mark of the degree you want to study and the note that you have in the Saber 11 tests. In this same article you have it explained.
A greeting.
Hello, very good morning!
I signed up to take a security guard course. I have the grade certificates and the apostilled diploma, but I have not taken it to be homologated. Could I present it when they ask me for it as it is?
Hello, Miki:
We do not know how they are going to ask you to present the documents for the course you indicate. It is best to ask directly where you are going to take the course.
A greeting.
I can do a basic FP, I am Colombian and I have not finished high school, this year I finished tenth grade and I did not take a knowledge 11 test. In Spain it is not mandatory to finish high school after 16. My question is if I can do a basic FP and they validate it for me as if I had finished my high school?
Hello, Carolina:
For this question, it is best that you go directly to the Spanish Ministry of Education.
A greeting.
Greetings, I have an undergraduate degree in social sciences and a master's degree in history. I would like to validate my degrees to work in Spain. Please advise me.
Hello Alexandra,
To homologate your qualifications you have to contact the Spanish Ministry of Education, which is the body in charge of the homologation of foreign qualifications.
A greeting.
Hi good afternoon
I have been a high school graduate in Colombia since 1991 and I want to homologate it in Spain. What should I do?
I also want to know, I have a friend who lives in Portugal and wants to do the accreditation of nursing assistant in Spain, she also has to do the baccalaureate
Hello, Luz:
To have your high school diploma recognised, you must contact the Spanish Ministry of Education, which is the body responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Regarding the case you mentioned about your friend, it is not necessary to validate her high school diploma in order to validate the Nursing Assistant diploma, since they are different diplomas.
A greeting.
Hi
I want to take the free oral hygiene tests for the FP Superior. I am a Colombian dentist in the process of obtaining certification.
Do I have to validate my high school diploma to take these tests?
All the best
Hi Claudia:
For this question, it is best that you go directly to the Spanish Ministry of Education.
A greeting.