Glossary PCE-UNED: we solve your doubts from A to Z

Glossary PCE-UNED:

 

In this article we are going to explain everything you need to know if you are a student who has completed high school studies in an educational system other than Spanish and you want to access a university in Spain.

ACCESS

The form of access to the university differs according to the educational system from which the student comes. There is a difference between students from the European Union and those from other educational systems. In this link you will get more information.

ACCESS AGREEMENT

As we have already mentioned in the first point, access to university in Spain involves different procedures depending on the student’s country of origin.

If the country of origin has an access agreement, students should contact the university where they wish to study to find out if they use the UNEDasiss accreditation in their admission criteria.

Once confirmed, they must validate their high school grade. The validation is carried out by the UNEDassis and its maximum access mark is made on 10 points.

On the contrary, if there is no access agreement, the student must process the homologation of their studies for the Spanish bachelor’s degree. This procedure is carried out through the Ministry of Education. In this link you can find information about this procedure.

ACCREDITATION

Through UNEDasiss, international students can obtain an accreditation with which they can apply for admission to undergraduate studies in Spanish universities. The UNEDasiss accreditation is a digital document to which universities will have direct access through the UNEDasiss digital platform.

BACCALAUREATE OR HIGH SCHOOL

Students may request the accreditation of one or several high school modalities, for the purposes of their evaluation by the universities in their admission procedures. Students should check with the universities where they are going to apply for admission if it is necessary that their accreditation state the baccalaureate modality.

COMPULSES

It consists of the verification and certification of the copy of a document, by an authorized body (public bodies, notaries, consulates, etc.), so that it is guaranteed that the copy matches the original. Currently this process is carried out by the UNED itself.

DOCUMENTATION

The documentation to provide in the enrollment will depend on the student’s country of origin, the agreements they have with Spain and the previous studies they have.

Students from the European Union or from countries with reciprocity agreements must provide the following documentation:

• Document certifying access to the university in your country of origin.
• Academic records from the last two pre-university courses.

Students from non-EU countries or without reciprocity agreement

Students from other educational systems must provide the following documentation:

• Copy of the academic records of the last two courses correctly legalized (this legalization will be done through diplomatic channels).
• Application document or flyer that accredits the homologation of the studies completed with the Spanish baccalaureate.
• If the documents are written in a language other than Spanish, they must be submitted correctly translated.

Additionally, in the event that the student’s country of origin is not Spanish speaking, the university they wish to access may also request a degree that proves their knowledge of the Spanish language.

EXAMS

In Catalonia, the structure of the PCE requires taking an exam of 4 to 6 subjects (it is advisable to take 6 to have more possibilities):

• Three core subjects: History of Spain, Spanish Language and Literature, and language (English or French).
• A core subject of modality: to choose between Mathematics, Mathematics Applied to Social Sciences, Latin or Fundamentals of Art.
• Additionally, students can examine specific subjects that help them to weight and raise grades.

EXAM DATES

• May / June call. The exams will be held from May 24 to 28 in Spanish territory and from May 24 to June 12 abroad.
• September call. The exams will be held from September 6 to 11.

HOMOLOGATION OF THE HIGH SCHOOL

In order to study in Spain, it is necessary to have previously approved the bachelor’s degree.

The homologation of the foreign baccalaureate degree consists of recognizing its validity and equivalence with the title of the Spanish educational system in force at the time in which access to the Spanish university is going to be requested.

REGISTRATION TO THE PCE

The UNED organizes two calls for the PCE a year and these are the registration dates for this year 2021:

• May / June call: from February 22 to May 12.
• September call: from June 29 to July 21.

PCE SUBJECTS

These are the subjects that make up the Specific Competences Test classified into general core subjects, modality, and option:

• General core subjects: Spanish Language and Literature, History of Spain and Foreign Language (to choose between English, French, German, Portuguese or Italian).
• Core subjects of modality: Mathematics, Mathematics applied to Social Sciences, Latin and Foundations of Art.
• Core subjects of choice: Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Economics, Art History, Philosophy, Geology, Design, Physics and Technical Drawing.

MARKS (ACCESS)

From 5 to 10 points, it will be the accredited qualification of the studies equivalent to Baccalaureate, corresponding to 60% of the mark plus the weighting of the qualifications obtained in each specific competency test (PCE) carried out.

MARKS (ADMISSION)

Up to 14 points will be calculated by adding to the Access Note the grades of the modality trunks and option trunks passed by the student in the PCE with a qualification equal to or greater than 5, which provides the highest qualification once weighted by the coefficients 0 , 1 or 0.2, according to the grade weighting tables.

REQUESTS

In order to obtain a place at the Spanish university, it is necessary for the student to complete the university pre-registration within the deadlines determined by each university. Public universities usually close their pre-registration period in the first days of July, although some may have different deadlines. It is important to ask the university where you want to start studies for these deadlines.

SPECIFIC COMPETITION TESTS

PCE exams: specific competence tests (formerly UNED selectivity) are the exams that international students have to take in order to access university in Spain.

UNED ASSIS

It is the body that evaluates the academic records of international students and performs the necessary tests to access undergraduate studies at Spanish universities.

VALIDITY OF RESULTS

The validity of the PCE is 2 academic years. During this period, you only have to take the PCE again if you want to improve the grade of the subjects for their assessment by the host university.