Spain Scraps University examination for International students

Posted on 26 Aug 2014 Views ( )

As a move to establish Spain as a major destination for international education, the nation has loosened its university entrance examination Selectividad, for foreign students.

The examination has however treated as an obstacle in increasing the flow of International students as it was conducted in Spanish language and on the basis of Spanish educational system while some portion is on Spanish literature. Now it has been removed with immediate effect.

Figures have shown that comparing with 3, 00,000 foreign valedictorians in Germany and 4, 25,000 international student bodies in United Kingdom only about 74,000 foreign scholars were enrolled in Spanish universities last year.

Spain’s education minister, José Ignacio Wert, opine the removal of the examination as Spain’s biggest obstacle to raise inbound mobility. But now it may let the nation to exploit the growing demand for higher education in the Latin America and in Middle East, claims the experts.

Dean of undergraduate studies at IE University, a private institution based in Segovia and Madrid agrees with the above mentioned point that the examination is very hard for International students to pass.

Dr de Castro Carpeño too shared his view of scrapping of the test which was announced openly. He called it as a “revolutionary decision” as it has raised the curtain to the new age of academic reformations in Spain. He even added that now with the removal of the test, Spain’s public universities have to increase their tuition fee which is almost equivalent with those of EU students.

Reports told that about 7,000 international students had taken the test in their home nations last year.

Now chances are more for Universities to advance their intake of overseas enrollees with tuition fees set at between €680 (£540) and €1,400 a year.

“Students are only paying about 10 to 20 per cent of the cost of tuition, so the burden of real cost to take on more international applicants is on universities.

The advantages of living and studying in Spain lure many collegians specifically Spanish speakers, although quality wise public universities are not likely to compete with the UK or Germany.

International arena could contribute an unprecedented share to uplift Spain’s under-pressure economy whose workmanship outcomes in considerable cuts to higher education financial support in recent years.

The universities minister Montserrat Gomendio has recently commented that the current system cannot sustain as university education is not free even in nations where there is no tuition fee. It is a matter of when student pays, how, and who. Hence he advised the nation to move to income-based student loans just like UK.