Grants for Latin American citizens

If you belong to any Latin American country and you want to come to Spain to study or research there are universities and public and private institutions that offer a wide range of grants. Here we give you information on some of the programmes that may be of interest to you.

In Spain there are a large number of grants and subsidies available to foreign students so they can to come to Spain and start a course of study, broaden their knowledge through postgraduate courses or take part in works of research. Some are specifically intended for students and professionals from Latin America. Here are a few examples:

Carolina Foundation

These are awarded on an annual basis, and are designed to encourage further study by university graduates and the specialisation and continued recycling of postgraduates, researchers, teachers, artists and professionals from Latin America. The range of grants on offer includes some that are specifically aimed at postgraduate and doctoral studies:
 
-    Grants for studying master's degrees and specialist courses. Aimed at graduates from a member country of the Ibero-American Community of Nations who have an outstanding academic record.
-    Doctoral grants.  Aimed at teachers at universities in Latin America who wish to obtain the academic degree of doctor.

Grant applications must be made online. In addition, if you comply with the requirements you have the option of taking part in more than one of the programmes offered by the Carolina Foundation. You'll find more information at the following link: http://www.fundacioncarolina.es/formacion/presentacion/

Latin-American Postgraduate University Association (AUIP)
 
This association supports postgraduate and doctoral studies outside Latin America. The AUIP grants are designed to encourage international mobility between Andalusian and Latin American universities or between higher education institutions associated to the AUIP.
You'll find information on the available grant programmes on its website: http://www.auip.org/index.php/es/becas-auip

Erasmus Mundus SUD-UE programme

This grants programme promotes the mobility of students and workers between Latin American and European countries. The association is formed by twenty universities in South America and Europe. You can apply for mobility to study a bachelor's degree, doctorate or postdoctoral degree provided you have not lived, studied or worked for more than one year (in the last five years), in the European country of your choice.
 
If you want to study in Spain, this programme allows you to opt for the University of Burgos, and the University of Deusto in Bilbao (Basque Country). We recommend you check the requirements of each university before you send in your application, in addition to the syllabus. If you're interested in applying for this grant, you have until 22 March, 2016: http://www.sudue.eu

Science without Borders Programme
 
Its aim is to promote, expand and consolidate Brazilian science, technology and innovation through the presence of students, teachers and researchers outside Brazil.
 
In Spain you can study undergraduate and postgraduate courses. To do so you'll need to be accepted by the university you wish to attend before applying for the grant. You'll find all the information at the following link: http://www.csf-espanha.es/

CINDA student mobility programme
 
This academic institution is formed by leading universities in Latin America and Europe, and promotes the exchange of students among the member universities. Each year the associated universities publish the number of places available, and you'll need to have an official presentation from your university to the destination university. You can only take part if your university is a member of CINDA.
 
You must cover the costs of travel, medical insurance and maintenance during your stay, but some universities provide assistance with accommodation and food. All the places available in the university and speciality of your choice can be seen on the CINDA website: http://cinda.pucp.edu.pe/04universidades.php

Each university offers its own grants for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. We recommend visiting the website of the university you're interested in attending to see the grant programmes available. Below is a list of some of the Spanish universities that offer specific grants for Latin American students:
 
UPM-Santander grants
 
The Santander Foundation and the Madrid Polytechnic University offer two types of grants for doctoral studies for students from Latin American universities. The aid you receive will cover travel expenses, enrolment and your stay at the university. Remember that these grants cannot be combined with any other type of aid. You'll find more information on their website.

UDC grants for Latin American students
 
The University of A Coruña has grants to allow Latin American students to study a master's degree from among the courses it offers. In order to apply you must have Latin American nationality, have your habitual place of residence in a Latin American country, and be in possession of an academic degree issued by Latin-American University that entitles you to follow a master's degree. You'll find more information on their website.

If you're interested in coming to Spain with a grant, it's advisable to check the requirements of the grant itself, as each institution follows its own procedure and requires different documents.
 
You can contact the Spanish Embassy in your country, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, public and private bodies or the academic centre you're interested in attending to check whether there are any grants available or any other aid for study.
 
If you need more information on grants we recommend you see our report entitled "How to obtain a grant to study in Spain".