Spain and the United Kingdom have signed an agreement that will enable students from both countries to have access to respective universities, making the higher education institutions more accessible for young people from these two countries.
The agreement was signed between the Spanish Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Pilar Alegria and the UK Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliot.
“Today, I had the honour of signing the agreement on the recognition of school qualifications with Pilar Alegria, which will facilitate access to university for our respective students. I look forward to finalising the signature next week with Joan Subsirat,” the Ambassador wrote in a statement.
The Minister for Spanish Universities, Joan Subsirat, is expected to sign the agreement in the next 30 days, making it fully effective. This agreement will reduce the impact Brexit has had on the education system of the two countries – for UK-based students as well as 70,000 students who study at 80 British schools in Spain.
The deal will enable students to pick the respective countries for their academic careers, while prior to the agreement, UK students were subject to a lengthy process to get their qualifications obtained in the UK recognised in Spain, which had to be validated by the authorities before students could access Spanish higher education institutions.
The recognition process is known for being long, and more than 40,000 non-EU students have been waiting for years to have their qualifications recognised in the country.
With all benefits the agreement is expected to bring, it won’t affect the high tuition fees nor the access of UK-based students to work in Spain.
The Spanish Ministry of Universities has previously proposed to the Spanish government to allow British nationals studying in the country to remain there after graduating in an effort to make Spain more attractive to international students.
“Among the plans for the new University System Law (LOSU) is that the residence permit to study in Spain will no longer have to be requested every year, as is the case now, and will instead be extended for the duration of studies,” the Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats, told El Pais.
The proposed law is expected to permit Brits to remain in Spain post-graduation under the new University System Law (LOSU), while at the same time, the new law is expected to push for first residence permits to be valid for the whole studying period. Currently, students have to renew this permit every year.
