Validation of higher education completed abroad

The interested party or the authorized person on presentation of the necessary identification. 

Via the online administrative procedures on the URV's intranet or the URV online registry.

Students who cannot access the online administrative procedures on the URV's intranet or the URV online registry will be allowed to submit their application in person at the auxiliary registry of their campus.

Please check the general considerations for submitting applications and documentation.

Application for validation and admission to a URV bachelor's degree:

• Period: from 1 to 30 April 2023

Application for the validation of foreign studies (students who have already registered or who have been assigned a place via other routes):

• Period: 2 May to 30 October 2023

(*) The application periods may change from one academic year to the next. We recommend that you check the dates each year.

By presenting the following documentation:

• Application addressed to the head of the secretariat who, if appropriate, will send it to the dean or the director of the faculty or school.

• Original and photocopy (or attested photocopy) the passport or other document accrediting identity and nationality, issued by the competent authorities in the country of origin or by the Spanish authorities competent in foreign affairs. Students with Spanish nationality must an attested photocopy of the original and a photocopy of their DNI.

• Original and photocopy of the document accrediting the right to an exemption (large family, etc.). 

• Original and photocopy or an attested photocopy of the academic transcript of the studies carried out by the student, issued by the foreign university and showing, among other information, the subjects studied, the workload for each subject and the grading system used. If necessary, the transcript must also be translated and legalised.*

• If the studies have been completed, the original university certificate or an attested photocopy (legalised and translated, if necessary).*

• Sworn declaration stating that the applicant has not already applied for the validation of their studies or, if appropriate, a copy of the resolution in which the Spanish Ministry refuses the validation (only for students who are applying for admission to a URV bachelor's degree).

• The Faculty/School Board will approve the criteria and the number of places for students who are applying for validation of foreign courses and will publish this information. These criteria will be ratified, if necessary, by the Governing Council's corresponding delegated committee.

• Find out more about the specific criteria for each faculty/school and course.

• Original and photocopy of the syllabuses of the subjects passed (legalised and translated, if necessary).*

• Curriculum of the qualification confirming official academic validity in the country of origin (legalised and translated, if necessary).*

(*) Documents issued abroad must comply with the following requirements:

• They must be official and be issued by the competent authorities, in accordance with the legal regulations of the relevant country.

• They must be legalised diplomatically or with an apostille in accordance with The Hague Convention. No legalisation is required for documents issued by authorities in a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area (list of states)

• They must be accompanied by an official translation into Catalan or Spanish. The official translation can be done by:

  • Any diplomatic or consular representative of the Spanish state abroad.

  • By a diplomatic or consular representative of the applicant's country in Spain or of the country in which the document was issued.

  • By an authorised sworn translator registered with the Spanish state.

  • By the Language Service of the URV, if the translation is only for the purposes of this procedure within the URV. 

In accordance with the current Decree on Public Prices, students must pay a fee for validation. The secretariat of the faculty/school will send details of this fee as soon as the application is received.

• Students who have obtained a foreign qualification can apply either for official recognition or partial validation of the qualification. These two options cannot be applied to simultaneously. Students who opt for validation may not apply for official recognition.

• The process of validation or official recognition will take into account only the grades on the student's academic transcript that were obtained before the expiry of the corresponding application period.

• The validation or official recognition process will examine the similarity between the competencies and knowledge acquired from the foreign qualification and those specified in the URV's curriculum. Alternatively, the process may recognise the transversal nature of the competencies and knowledge acquired abroad. Validated subjects will be given points on a scale determined by the Spanish Ministry of Education that indicates the degree of equivalence between foreign and Spanish qualifications.

• Under no circumstances will credits corresponding to final bachelor's degree projects be recognised.

The dean or head of the faculty/school. 

At most, one month after the end of the period and the presentation of the necessary documentation.

* Please bear in mind that August is not considered to be a working month. 

Application for foreign qualifications (not including application for admission):

The applicant will be notified of the final decision. The notification will also specify, if necessary, which subjects have been accepted and these will be added to the student's academic transcript.

Application for validation and admission to a URV bachelor's degree:

• The applicant will be notified of the final decision. If the decision is in the applicant's favour, a new academic transcript will be created for the applicant on the course to which they have been admitted. 

• The notification issued by the faculty/school also states which students have been admitted or excluded with 30 or more recognised credits. 

• The applicant will be notified of the final decision; however, academic recognition will not be given until the applicant has completed the registration process and paid the corresponding fees for the validation of studies. 

Students must pay the fee for the validated subjects in accordance with the current Decree of Public Prices.

 Application for validation and admission to a URV bachelor's degree:

• In cases where the student has had 30 or more credits recognised, independently of the academic year to which they belong, the faculty/school will decide on whether to admit the student or not. 

– If the faculty/school decides to admit the student, the student must read the information in the section Completing the registration process.

– If the faculty/school decides not to admit the student, the student must apply for official recognition of the studies that entitle the student to admission in their country of origin. After receiving official recognition, the student must pass the UNED's University Entrance Exams for foreigners. 

• If the student obtains between 1 and 29 recognised credits, the faculty/school issues the corresponding notification enabling the student to pre-register for the course and at the faculty/school for which partial validation has been awarded and will be awarded an entrance mark of 5 points.

• If the student does not obtain recognition for any credits before applying to pre-register for a bachelor's degree, the student must be aware that: 

– Students from educational systems within the European Union or from those of countries that have signed the corresponding international agreements and who meet the academic requirements for university admission in their home educational systems must contact the UNED to obtain the corresponding accrediting document. 
– Students with a European Baccalaureate or an International Baccalaureate must contact the UNED to obtain the corresponding accrediting document.
– Students from other countries must contact the Spanish Ministry to begin the process of obtaining official recognition for the secondary education qualifications.

The student or the authorized person on presentation of the necessary identification. Provided that the student has been admitted by the office of the dean/head of the faculty/school or during the university pre-registration process. 

During the period in which the student is required to register, which is stated in the notification (registration for students admitted via this route will be in September). 

The student registers for the subjects that they wish to study during the academic year and for the validated subjects. 

The student must pay the registration fee in order to complete the registration process.