University change: procedure and advice

University change in Spain to another university is quite simple. All you have to do is apply to the new university where you want to study. The difficulty sometimes lies in getting the university you want to change to admit you. That’s why today we explain the whole process in detail, give you some tips to improve your chances of success and answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

Transfer procedures: general admissions process

In order to do a university change, you have two options.

The first is to take part in the general admissions process: apply for a place like any other new student. You should be aware that here you will be competing with all the new students on the basis of your admission mark. If you get the grade and are admitted, you can then apply for recognition of the credits you have already passed.

General admission process requirements

If you are applying to a public university, and the degree you are interested in does not have a limited number of places, you can relax because your place is practically guaranteed. If, on the other hand, places are limited, you will be competing with all the other students who have applied for the same degree. At the public university, students are admitted in order of their access grade. In this case, whether or not you are admitted depends solely on the number of places available, and where you rank in relation to other students who have applied for the same degree.

Procedures for change: transfer of transcript of records

In the case of applying for a change of studies and transfer, here you are competing only with other students who, like you, want to proceed to a university change. You are competing with fewer people, but universities often reserve few places for students coming from other universities.

Our advice is that you should be aware that one option does not exclude the other, so to have a better chance you should pursue both routes at the same time.

Transfer requirements

Both the degree you have started and the degree you want to study at the new university must be official degrees. If either of the two is a proper degree, you only have to take part in the general admissions process.
The university you want to transfer to must «recognise» at least 30 of the credits you have already earned. To put this in perspective, one year of a degree is generally 60 credits. The official/legal term is not «convalidar», but «reconocer», which is to give as valid and applicable to the degree you want to study.

Remember that…

It is very important that you contact the university where you want to continue your university studies as soon as possible. Your main objective is to obtain all the information from this university regarding the general admission process, and the process of changing your studies.  Although much information will be available on the university’s website, you should also call the admissions office and explain what you want.

In addition, it is important to fill in the forms and submit all the documentation by the deadlines set by each university. If you have all this information written down in a calendar, you will not miss it.

It is also worth noting that the usual thing to do in this situation when the change has been accepted is to fill in a transfer application form, proof of payment of fees and a letter of admission or other document showing that the other university has admitted you. This is a guideline, you should check with your university to find out about their particular process.

So now you know, write down all these steps so that you don’t forget anything when you change university.