The Spanish Cabinet last week approved changes to the income thresholds for university grants in the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, which among other things extends access to victims of sexual abuse and broadens aid for disabled students.

The income thresholds used to give out grants have been raised by 5 percent on average, in order to bring them into line with the rise in the CPI and salaries.

“This is an extremely important measure for hundreds of thousands of families in Spain that clearly advances towards equal opportunities, especially for our young people and, above all, preventing young students from having to abandon their education and studies due to socioeconomic conditions”, said Spain’s Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sport, Pilar Alegría.

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For the upcoming year, the government has allocated over €2.5 billion for scholarships and study grants, an all-time high that will enable all students to receive an education regardless of where they come from and their family’s financial resources.

In Spain, grants are generally given for enrolment and fees (usually referred to as la matrícula) as well as accommodation costs, plus some extra grants for outstanding academic results. These are generally (more on that below) available for most people studying in Spain, though it can depend on your nationality, residency status and family income. 

Who can request a university grant in Spain in 2024?

Firstly, the grants that aren’t available to everyone.

In Spain, a supplementary grant of €400 is available for people with special educational needs due to the following circumstances:

• Disability (25 percent as legally defined)
• Serious behavioural, communication or language disorders
• Autistic spectrum disorder

“The €400 euro grant is a universal grant for all students with special educational needs. We are taking another step in the right direction to continue working towards equal opportunities,” said Alegría.

It is estimated that almost 250,000 students benefit from these grants every year.

Accommodation grants

The government will also increase the residence grant from €1,600 to €2,500 per year for the upcoming academic year.

What are the income thresholds?

The income thresholds (known as umbrales de renta in Spanish) are used to distribute grants, and depend on the number of people in your family unit and the total annual income.

The Education Ministry has a full breakdown of the thresholds on its website, but generally speaking, if your family income exceeds ‘umbral 3’ for your number of family members you won’t be eligible for a full grant but could still receive something.

For example, if the total income of a three-person household exceeds €34,332 per year, you cannot request a university grant.

Can foreigners access university grants in Spain?

This depends on where you’re from and your residency status in Spain.

If you are a foreigner legally resident in Spain and are over the age of 18, you can essentially access Spanish universities under the same conditions as Spaniards.

This means you are also able to apply for the same scholarships and grants as Spanish students, and the vast majority of grants given to foreigners by the Spanish Department of Education are resident in Spain.

If you’re an international student and not resident in Spain, the government does offer different types of grants and scholarships, many of which are open to international students. Your local Spanish consulate should be able to give you information on those that may be available to you, and is often worth approaching universities directly as many give our private grants to international students.

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However, where exactly in the world you come from could make a difference. Spain’s Ministry of Education outlines the requirements here, including academic requirements, but the key ones include:

• Being a Spanish national or a national of an EU member state
• If you are an EU citizen, you or your family must reside permanently in Spain or be employed (or self-employed) in Spain in order to receive the full amount of state university grants
• If you are an EU citizen and you do not meet this requirement, you will usually only be able to receive the tuition fee grant
• You must not have previously obtained a degree of an equal or higher level than the studies for which you are applying for the grant

What about non-EU foreigners?

Foreigners who are not from an EU country and don’t have residency in Spain are still able to go to Spanish universities and can even apply for some grants, though it is a little more complicated.

Firstly, you will need to go through the homologation process in order to get your qualifications recognised in Spain. This is carried out through the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, except if the university you want to attend is in Catalonia, Galicia or the Basque Country, because in those cases you must request homologation in the region itself. You can contact your local Spanish consulate to help you navigate the process.

In addition, once you have received your place at a Spanish university, you must also apply for a student visa in order to legally be able to live in Spain during your studies.

What about accessing grants?

One possible option for non-EU citizens wanting a grant is to consider the MAEC-AECID grants organised by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

These grants are mostly for post-grad students and are given, among others, to African, Latin American and Asian citizens.