On Monday 3 July, the UK and Spain signed a bilateral agreement on co-operation in matters of education and access to university and other higher education institutions.

This follows the close collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Professional Training and the Ministry of Universities in Spain, alongside the UK Department for Education and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The agreement will come into effect 30 days from the date of the last signature, on Wednesday 2 August 2023.

Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, this agreement enables students with UK qualifications (including A-levels and equivalent) to access universities in Spain without the requirement of additional entrance exams. Entry exams will only be required for certain competitive courses, as was the case prior to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

This is particularly important for the success of pre-university British education in Spain (currently around 65,000 students of different nationalities, 50 per cent of whom are Spanish). Although the profile of these students is very international, families were concerned that students could no longer access Spanish universities. As a result, many of these schools were moving towards the IB. This agreement has brought much needed clarity for schools and families, and British Schools in Spain will continue to be an important source of students for UK universities as they have been up to now.

Although this is a bilateral agreement, it has less relevance for entry to the UK, given access has not changed, although it does provide legal reassurance for families in Spain looking to study in the UK.

The agreement also establishes a framework to increase co-operation between the UK and Spain in the field of education, and is symbolic of the desire to build on the already strong and long-standing relationship.

Gratitude is extended to HMA to Spain and his team for their efforts in achieving the agreement.