Each country has a different educational system. This causes that if we want to study in another country we must equate the courses, titles or studies obtained in the United States with those of the destination country, in this case Spain. This equivalence process is called homologation or validation, and it is what we are going to explain in this post: how to homologate American studies.
Who must homologate studies to study in Spain?
All people who wish to study outside the United States, whether to continue studies or start new ones, must validate their previous degrees. This process is mandatory and necessary, in addition to other requirements that may be requested to study in Spain if your studies are from the United States. Even if we do not intend to study, the ideal is to have the homologation in case we are asked for it in the future for a job or public opposition in Spain.
What steps must be taken to homologate or validate American studies?
The first thing to do is find out what is necessary to gain admission to the institution we want in Spain. Therefore, if it is about secondary studies or high school, the main thing is to finish high school and start the process. In case they are university procedures, there are several options, depending on whether or not we have finished the degree. If you have finished it, the process is the same as that of the baccalaureate. In case we have not finished it and we want to continue the studies in Spain, there are 4 options:
1. Validate the studies by recognition of subjects.
2. Take the university entrance exams and start from the beginning.
3. Make the validation and present the access tests.
4. Access a private university.
You can learn more about these options and the advantages and benefits in each case in the post about how to continue studying in Spain from our colleagues at Escuela PCE.
What documentation is necessary to approve studies?
- Original and certified copy of the title, in addition to having the Apostille of The Hague.
- Original and certified copy of the study plan or certificate, which includes the grades of the courses, in addition to having the Apostille of The Hague.
- Sworn translation of the original apostilled documents.
- Certified copy of passport or document.
- Payment of Form 079 fees.
- Fill in the Application Form for each case. If it is for university or non-university studies (high school and below).
United States high school equivalence in Spain
Currently, baccalaureate degrees in Spain (1st and 2nd) are equivalent to grades 11 and 12 in the United States.
Where are the procedures to validate the baccalaureate and other titles?
There are three options to process the titles:
- Onsite. If you are in Spain, in the General Registry of the Ministry of Education, in the Areas of High Education Inspection, except if you are in Galicia, the Basque Country and Catalonia, which is carried out in the Education Council of these communities. If you are in the United States, at the Spanish consulates, making an appointment.
- On-line. Through the website of the Ministry.
- LegalSpain. The best option if you want to have no worries and do the homologation through a specific agency in these procedures.
How long does the process of homologation of American studies take?
The baccalaureate homologation process can take between 5 and 9 months and university degrees between 6 and 15 months. These times are average, and will depend on the agreements between countries and the Spanish consulate, since the more work they have, the more delay it can generate.
Why homologate documents and titles with LegalSpain?
As you can see, there can be many procedures that are necessary to obtain an approval or validation of our titles. In addition, the time to obtain the resolution depends a lot on the consulate and if it quickly sends the documents to Spain, something that does not usually happen. Therefore, if you want to gain time, process security, save money and comfort, it is best to entrust and delegate these processes to specialized agencies like us, LegalSpain, who can coordinate all aspects so that you can have the necessary peace of mind and you only have to worry about deciding what to do with your degree.
