The Diplomat
On August 2, the agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom came into force, which will allow students in the British education system to access university in Spain under the same conditions as students from European Union member states.
The agreement was signed in Madrid between June 28 and July 3 by the UK Ambassador in Madrid, Hugh Elliott, with the Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Pilar Alegría, and the Minister for Universities, Joan Subirats (both currently in office).
The Agreement between the Ministries of Universities and of Education and Vocational Training, on the part of Spain, and the Ministry of Education, on the part of the United Kingdom, on educational cooperation and access to university and other higher education institutions, facilitates educational cooperation between the two countries and limits the impact of Brexit on access to university for both UK students and for the more than 70,000 students from the more than 80 educational centers that provide education in Spain within the British system.
The text develops the 1960 Cultural Agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom on educational cooperation, especially Article 5, by which “each Contracting Government shall consider to what extent and under what conditions academic degrees, diplomas and certificates conferred in the territory of one Contracting Government, including those related to the exercise of professions, shall be considered equivalent to those conferred in the territory of the other”.
The purpose of the agreement is to promote and facilitate educational relations at different levels between the educational systems of both parties, as well as to facilitate access to university in both parties and to other institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom.
The agreement will apply to educational cooperation programs and initiatives, access to university on both sides and to other higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, and the recognition of degrees, diplomas, certificates, qualifications and entrance examinations, which are officially valid in the educational system of each of the parties and which qualify for access to university studies in Spain and to Bachelor’s degrees and other higher education studies in the United Kingdom, all in accordance with the legislation, regulations and procedures in force in each party and, in the case of Spain, also with any applicable European Union regulations.
The agreement will remain in force for a period of four years, after which it will be automatically renewed for equal periods of time. Either party may terminate this agreement by means of a verbal note. Termination shall take effect after a period of at least two calendar years following the date of receipt of the notice by the other party.
