Keeping your school grant: grades, attendance and repayment

Key rules

• Compulsory school: You need no minimum grades, but you must enrol and attend.
• Later studies: You must pass a minimum share of subjects, which varies by field.
• Other aid: Declare all other aid, because duplicate aid for the same purpose must be given up or repaid.
• Repayment: Hidden or false data, dropping out or too few passes can mean repaying the grant with interest.

What you must do to keep the grant

Getting a grant is not the end of it. You keep it by enrolling in an eligible course, attending regularly and, in later studies, passing enough subjects. Break these conditions and you may have to pay money back.

Grades and attendance

• Compulsory school: there is no minimum grade. You still have to enrol and attend.
• Studies after compulsory school: you must pass a minimum share of your subjects. The share depends on your field of study.
• Repeating: the beca general also limits how much you can repeat.

The exact thresholds are set in each year's call (the official announcement of the grant). Read the current one before you enrol, so you know how many subjects you need to pass.

Other aid you receive

A beca general is generally not compatible with other aid for the same purpose. That means other state, regional, local, public or private aid covering the same expenses. It also means another scholarship of the same kind for the same studies.

• If you get both, you must give up one or repay the duplicate.
• The ministry's own fixed and variable amounts can be received together. These are parts of the same grant.
• Declare all other aid you apply for or receive.
• The Basque Country and Navarre run their own schemes. If you live there, check which one applies to you, because you may have to choose between them.

What triggers repayment

The Ministry of Education can open a procedure to recover the grant, plus late-payment interest. The usual triggers are:

• hiding or falsifying data on your application, such as income, family members, property or residence;
• not enrolling in the subsidised course, or not attending it;
• dropping out or cancelling your enrolment without a justified reason;
• not passing, or not being assessed in, the minimum share of subjects the call requires;
• turning out not to meet the academic, economic or residence requirements;
• receiving incompatible aid, or receiving more than the activity costs.

The ministry can also recover money paid by mistake.

If you get a repayment notice

You are notified and can send your objections (allegations) in reply. Do not ignore the notice. If you do not repay voluntarily, the tax authorities collect the debt like any other public debt.

Regional or university aid has its own rules, so check the terms of each one separately. The warnings and questions below cover the common mistakes.

What to watch out for

• Wrong or hidden data can mean repaying the grant: Hiding or falsifying details on the application (income, family members, property or residence) can lead the Ministry of Education to demand the grant back, plus late-payment interest. Declare everything accurately and list all other aid you apply for or receive.

• Not enrolling, not attending or dropping out: If you don't enrol in or attend the course, or cancel your enrolment without justification, you may have to repay what you received. If you must stop, get the reason documented and tell the awarding office before the money is reclaimed.

• Not passing enough subjects: For a beca general you must pass the share of subjects or credits your field requires and stay within the repeat limits. Falling short can trigger a repayment demand. Check the pass rate for your studies in the current call before the course starts.

• Receiving incompatible aid: Holding another aid for the same purpose, or receiving more than the activity costs, means you must renounce one or repay the duplicate. Choose one aid before payment arrives, or repay the duplicate promptly.

• Ignoring the repayment notice: You are notified of a repayment procedure and can submit allegations (your written reply). If nothing is repaid voluntarily, the tax authorities collect the debt like other public debts. Payments made in error can also be recovered. Reply within the deadline in the notice and attach evidence that supports your case.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need minimum grades to keep a grant for compulsory school?

No, compulsory education has no minimum grade requirement for keeping school aid. You still need to be enrolled in an eligible course and attend regularly. For post-compulsory studies, the call sets minimum pass rates.

Can I get a beca general and other aid for the same expenses?

Generally no, a beca general cannot be held together with other public or private aid that covers the same expenses or purpose. If you receive both, you must renounce one or repay the duplicate. The Ministry's own fixed and variable amounts can be received together, and you must declare all other aid you apply for or receive.

Do the Basque Country and Navarre follow the same grant rules?

No, the Basque Country has its own system, and you have to choose between it and the national one. Navarre also has its own scheme. If you live in either region, check which scheme applies to you before you apply.