How public university fees (precios públicos) are calculated

Terms used

• ECTS — ECTS credits are the European unit for measuring study workload; a full-time year is 60 of them.
• Grado — A grado is a Spanish bachelor's degree, usually four years.
• Secretaría — The secretaría is the university office that handles enrolment, fees and records.
• Seguro escolar — The seguro escolar is a small public insurance for students under 28, paid with enrolment.

Key rules

• Who sets prices: Each region sets the price per credit, so check the figures for the region where you will study.
• Full year: A full-time year is 60 ECTS credits, and a four-year grado is 240 credits.
• Repeats: A second enrolment typically costs 1.5 to 2 times the first, the third 2.5 to 3 times, and the fourth and later 3 to 4 times.
• Seguro escolar: The seguro escolar costs about €1.12 a year for students under 28.

The formula

Public tuition is the credits you enrol in, times your region's price per credit for your degree's category, multiplied if you are repeating a subject, plus admin fees. Each region sets the prices, so the same degree can cost different amounts in different regions. Private universities set their own fees.

Step 1: Count your credits

A normal full-time year is 60 ECTS credits, so a four-year grado is 240 credits. You pay per credit enrolled, so part-time study costs proportionally less per year.

Part-time rules are set by each university. Typically a part-time student enrols in roughly 24 to 30 credits at minimum and 36 to 42 at maximum per year. Some universities limit the years you have to finish, or ask for a reason such as work or care duties. Check your university's rules.

Step 2: Find the price per credit for your degree

Regions group degrees into bands called grados de experimentalidad, often 4 or 5. Humanities and social sciences are cheapest. Health, engineering and experimental sciences cost more. Each region decides which degrees go in which band and the price of each band. Master's degrees have their own bands, so look up the master's list separately.

The prices are published each year by the regional government, usually in a decree or order. Search for your region's current price decree, or ask the university's secretaría.

Step 3: Apply the repeat multiplier

The first time you enrol in a subject you pay the base price. Failing a subject raises its price next year. The second enrolment typically costs 1.5 to 2 times the first, the third 2.5 to 3 times, and the fourth and later 3 to 4 times.

This applies subject by subject, not to your whole year. Some regions cap the increase, and regions with low-fee policies, such as Galicia and Asturias, have lower multipliers. Many regions reduce or waive the increase for students with certain scholarships or exceptional circumstances.

Step 4: Add admin fees

Expect these on top of tuition:

• A file opening or secretariat fee (apertura de expediente or gastos de secretaría), roughly €20 to €60 in the first year.
• The seguro escolar, which is short school insurance. It is only for students under 28, and its price is in the key rules.
• Sometimes a student card fee, around €5 to €15. Some universities include it in the secretariat fee.
• At the end, a fee to issue your degree certificate (título), typically €100 to €250 depending on region and family-size discounts. Transcripts and credit recognition cost extra.

Large-family and disability discounts or exemptions apply.

A worked example

Say you enrol in 60 credits, all first enrolments, in a band priced at €20 per credit. Tuition is 60 × €20 = €1,200. Add the admin fees from step 4. If you fail one 6-credit subject, next year those 6 credits cost 1.5 to 2 times the base price, so €30 to €40 per credit instead of €20. The €20 figure is only an illustration. Use your region's real prices.

Use the calculator below to run your own numbers, and see the quick answers for common questions about resits and honours.

Estimate your public university tuition

Work it out

What you enter

• Price per credit, first enrolment (EUR): Your university's fee page or your region's yearly price decree, for your degree's band
• Credits you enrol in for the first time (credits): Your study plan or enrolment form; a normal full-time year is 60 ECTS credits
• Credits you repeat for the second time (credits): Your academic record: subjects you failed once
• Credits you repeat for the third time (credits): Your academic record: subjects you failed twice
• Credits you repeat for the fourth time or more (credits): Your academic record: subjects you failed three or more times
• Administrative fees (EUR): The fee table of your university or region; enter 0 if unknown
• Extra charge for non-EU students, if any (%): Your university's fee rules; enter 0 if none applies. Master's degrees use their own, higher per-credit price

Figures used

• Second enrolment, lower multiplier: 1.5 times
• Second enrolment, higher multiplier: 2 times
• Third enrolment, lower multiplier: 2.5 times
• Third enrolment, higher multiplier: 3 times
• Fourth and later, lower multiplier: 3 times
• Fourth and later, higher multiplier: 4 times

Worked example (with Price per credit, first enrolment 18 EUR, Credits you enrol in for the first time 60 credits, Credits you repeat for the second time 6 credits, Credits you repeat for the third time 0 credits, Credits you repeat for the fourth time or more 0 credits, Administrative fees 30 EUR, Extra charge for non-EU students, if any 0 %)

When the sum misleads

• Some regions cap the repeat increase or reduce it for scholarship holders, so your real total may be lower.
• Large-family and disability exemptions are not included here.
• For a master's degree, use the master's per-credit price, which is usually higher than a grado price.
• In most regions non-EU students pay the same price as EU students for a grado, so leave the extra charge at 0 unless your university says otherwise.

Quick answers about Spanish university fees

Does failing a subject make next year's fees higher?

Yes, failing a subject raises the price you pay to enrol in it again, and it keeps rising with each further enrolment. Galicia and Asturias use lower multipliers, and many regions reduce or waive the increase for some scholarship holders or exceptional circumstances. Ask your university's secretaría whether you qualify.

Are master's fees higher than degree fees?

Yes, official master's degrees cost more per credit than grados in public universities. Habilitating masters, which you need for a regulated profession such as teaching or law, are often priced closer to grado level in some regions. Madrid and Catalonia are among the dearer regions, Galicia and Andalusia among the cheaper.

Do exam resits cost extra?

No, resits in the same academic year normally cost nothing extra, because the ordinary and extraordinary sittings are included in the subject's enrolment price. You pay again only if you must enrol in the subject in a later year. Some universities charge small fees for exam review, special sittings or an extra call for the final project.

Does a matrícula de honor reduce next year's fees?

Yes, a matrícula de honor (top mark) in a subject gives you free credits next year, equal to the credits of that subject. A premio extraordinario at the end of secondary school or a degree usually exempts you from first-year fees or the first master's year, depending on the region.