How university pre-registration (preinscripción) works

Terms used

• Distrito único — A distrito único is a regional system where one application covers all public universities in that region.
• Distrito abierto — The distrito abierto is a national system that lets you apply to universities in other regions.
• PAU — The PAU is the university entrance exam taken after bachillerato.
• PCE — The PCE is the specific entrance exam that non-EU applicants take along with the UNED credential.
• UNED — UNED is the national distance university that issues the credential non-EU applicants need.
• Reserva — Reserva lets you keep your claim on better-ranked options without enrolling in the lower place you were given.

Key rules

• Option limit: You can usually list up to 12 degree options in order of preference, though some regions allow a different number.
• Order: Your real first choice goes first, because winning a higher choice cancels every option below it.
• Separate applications: Each region or distrito abierto system needs its own application.
• Missed deadlines: If you do not enrol, reserve or confirm in time, you usually drop out of the whole process.

Where you apply

Each region runs its own online portal, and you apply through the portal of the region where you want a place. Examples are the Distrito Único de Madrid, Catalonia's Preinscripció, the Distrito Único Andaluz, the Valencian regional portal and Galicia's CiUG.

In a distrito único, one application covers all the public universities in that region. Places are assigned by mark across all of them.

Many regions also take part in the national distrito abierto. This lets you apply to universities in other regions. Applicants from outside a region can generally apply to any university.

UNED and private universities run their own systems. Private universities can follow different rules from those described here.

One application per region

You need a separate application in each region or distrito abierto system where you want a place. Coordination between regions is limited, so check each region's calendar. The same person can be offered places in several regions at once. You then enrol in or reserve each place separately, and release the ones you will not use.

Build your list in the right order

Rank your degree options from the one you want most to the one you want least. You can usually list up to 12, though some regions allow a different number.

The order matters because of how places are given out:

• Places are allocated by admission mark within each quota.
• You get the highest-ranked option on your list that your mark qualifies for.
• If you get a higher-ranked option, your lower-ranked options are cancelled.
• If you get a lower-ranked option, you stay in the running for the higher ones in later lists.

So put your real first choice first. Never put a "safe" option above a degree you really want.

Quotas

Part of the places is reserved by quota. The national minimums are:

• 5% for students with a disability of 33% or more
• 3% for high-level athletes
• about 1% or more for over-25s
• 1% or more for over-40s with work experience
• 1% or more for over-45s
• 2% or more for those with a previous university degree

The rest is the general quota, for people with bachillerato or FP qualifications who pass the PAU or an equivalent. Regions may adjust the figures slightly.

If you have a non-EU qualification, you normally get the UNED credential and sit the PCE. You then compete in the general quota, with a mark built from your credential grade and PCE results. If you enter by another route, such as over-25, you follow that route's quota. Confirm which quota applies to you with UNED and the university before you apply. This does not apply to EU or agreement-country students who are exempt from the PCE.

Rounds: lists, enrolment and reserve

There are usually two or three lists, depending on the region and university. The first comes out in July after the ordinary PAU. The second follows about a week later. A third list or further calls for leftover places often come in late July or September.

After each list you usually have 3 to 5 working days to enrol, and if you miss it the place is lost. What you do depends on what you got:

• Your first choice: enrol, or you lose the place.
• A lower choice: enrol and keep waiting for a better one, or mark reserve (reserva). Reserve keeps your claim on better options without enrolling.
• No place: in some regions you must confirm that you want to stay on the waiting list.

If you do not enrol or confirm in time, you drop out of that list and usually out of the whole process. Read the current call for your region's number of lists, deadlines and wording. The decision, timeline and checklist below walk through these steps.

Choosing between options

What do you do when an admission list gives you a place?

• Enrol: The place is your first choice, or you are happy to stop there. Enrol within the deadline or the place is lost.

• Enrol and keep waiting: You got a lower choice but want to hold it while you wait for a better one in later lists.

• Mark reserve: You got a lower choice and want to keep your claim on better ones without enrolling yet.

• Stay on the waiting list: You were given no place and your region asks you to confirm that you still want one.

Each list gives you the highest-ranked option your mark allows, so a better place cancels all your lower options. Act within the deadline after each list, or you can drop out of the process.

Timeline and deadlines

• First admission list published: in July, after the ordinary PAU/EBAU exams

• Enrol, or mark reserve if you got a lower choice and want to keep waiting for a better one: within 3 to 5 working days of each list

• Second admission list published: about a week after the first list

• Confirm you want to stay on the waiting list, in regions that ask for it: within the deadline given after each list

• Third list or further calls for leftover places: late July or September, depending on region and university

Checklist

• Find the pre-registration portal of each region where you want a place.

• Submit a separate application in every region or distrito abierto system you want to apply to.

• Check how many degree options your region allows; you can usually list up to 12.

• If you hold a non-EU qualification, confirm with UNED and the university which quota applies to you.

• Read the current call for the number of lists and the enrolment and reserve deadlines.

• If you hold places in several regions, enrol in or reserve each one and release those you will not use.

Mistakes that cost you a whole admission year

• Missing the pre-registration window: If you miss the ordinary pre-registration round, you risk losing your chance at a place this year. It usually opens in mid June and closes in late June or early July, shortly after the PAU results. Look up your region's calendar before June and apply as soon as the window opens. The September round is a smaller second chance, with only leftover places.

• Putting your real first choice lower down: Each list gives you the highest-ranked option you qualify for, and anything ranked below it is cancelled. If your dream degree is not first, you can lose it for good. List your degrees in true order of preference, with the one you want most first.

• Not enrolling after an admission list: Being admitted is not enough. After each list you usually have 3 to 5 working days to enrol (matrícula), and if you miss it the place is lost. Check the list on the day it comes out and enrol straight away. If you got a lower choice and want to wait for a better one, enrol or mark the reserve option (reserva), depending on your region's rules.

• Not confirming that you want to stay on the waiting list: In some regions, if you were not given a place you must confirm that you want to stay in the process. If you don't confirm in time, you can be removed from that list and usually from the whole process. Read the current call for your region to see whether you must confirm, and by when.

• Missing the UNED credential window: If you hold a non-EU foreign qualification, you need the UNED credential (acreditación) before sitting the PCE or applying. It is requested online in set windows, usually roughly February to April, with a later one in roughly May to June. Requests are processed in order of receipt. Check the current dates on UNED's university access pages and apply early in the window.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply to universities in more than one region with a single application?

No, you generally need a separate pre-registration in each region where you want a place. Some regions, such as Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia and Valencia, cover all their public universities in one application. Each application has its own portal and calendar.

What happens if I am given places in several regions at once?

You can be allocated a place in more than one region at the same time, because regions coordinate little. You must enrol in or reserve each place separately, then choose one and release the places you will not use.

Which quota do I compete in with a non-EU qualification?

You normally compete in the general quota once you have the UNED credential and pass the PCE, the entrance exam for foreign students. Your mark is worked out from the credential grade and the PCE results. If you enter through another route, such as over-25s, that route's quota applies.

What happens to my lower choices if I get a higher choice?

Your lower-ranked options are cancelled as soon as you get a higher-ranked one. If you get a lower one instead, you stay on the waiting list for the higher ones in later lists.