Cost of Studying in Spain (2027) for International Students

Spain runs a Bologna-structured higher education system of public universities, each set up by an autonomous community, alongside a smaller group of private and Church-run universities. Non-EU applicants normally register with UNEDasiss to have their secondary school record recognised before applying, pay a per-credit tuition rate that each autonomous community sets on its own, and enter on a national student visa that now allows up to 30 hours of paid work a week and a 12-month post-study job search period.

Verified 7 Sep 2026 Sources

Public university tuition is charged per ECTS credit at a rate each autonomous community fixes annually by decree; a bachelor's year is normally 60 credits. The Spanish government's own education area profile puts typical public bachelor tuition at roughly EUR 700 to 1,700 a year and master tuition at roughly EUR 1,000 to 3,500 a year; these are the resident/EU-referenced rates published for the system as a whole. Non-EU students should check each university's own fees page directly, because several autonomous communities, including the Community of Madrid, Catalonia and the Basque Country, charge non-EU students a separate, higher credit price, while others, including Andalusia and Galicia, apply the same or a similar price to EU and non-EU students. Private universities set tuition directly and it commonly runs from a few thousand euros a year to over EUR 20,000 a year at business schools and English-taught international programmes. Beyond tuition, a realistic student living budget is EUR 700 to 1,200 a month, toward the higher end in Madrid and Barcelona and lower in smaller university cities, covering rent, food, transport and personal costs but not the mandatory health insurance or visa costs paid before arrival.