Universidad.es, the mouthpiece for Spanish universities throughout the world

“Universidad.es”, the Foundation for the international projection of Spanish universities, was officially constituted on 23 December 2008. This marked the birth of an initiative which today has become established as an essential vehicle for promoting and disseminating information about all aspects of the Spanish university system throughout the world. Sponsored by the Spanish Government with the support of the autonomous regions, universities and various different institutions, this public sector foundation has been present at all the leading international fairs in the higher education sector, managed high-value programmes of grants and international mobility, and successfully negotiated major collaboration agreements for Spanish universities. In other words, it has been instrumental in creating the Spain brand, in raising awareness of the quality of our university system, and in enabling students and researchers all over the world to have information on the possibilities Spain offers in this area. The Universidad.es Foundation also has a web page which serves as an important communications channel for international students and researchers.

In 2010, during the official presentation of the Universidad.es Foundation to the public, the president of the Institute of International Education (IIE) in the United States, Allan Goodman, called the new model of global education “the 21st century's Silk Road”.
 
Universidad.es has for many years worked in this spirit, and its remarkable achievements include the management of a grants system with some of the main exporters of students to the rest of the world such as China, the signing of major collaboration agreements, cooperating in training human resources in sub-Saharan Africa through the Graça Machel grants programme, participating in academic mobility programmes such as the Pablo Neruda, attending all the leading fairs in the higher education sector, encouraging employability…
 
You'll find more information on its actions on the web page http://universidad.es/en.
 
The fact that in the 2011-2012 academic year almost 1,500,000 international students enrolled in first- and second-cycle and post-graduate courses in Spain, the fact that our country is integrated in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and that it follows the University Strategy 2015 with internationalisation as one of its key objectives, have all led to a gradual rise in academic mobility. This is why Universidad.es can serve as a mouthpiece and a beacon on this “21st century Silk Road”.

The Foundation aims to achieve the following objectives, among others:

1.    To contribute to the internationalisation of the Spanish university system.
 
2.    To highlight Spain's importance so that international students and researchers will choose our country as a destination.
 
3.    To increase the presence of Spanish students and researchers in the rest of the world.
 
4.    To encourage transnational education led by Spanish universities.
 
5.    To support the universities in their internationalisation strategies and in their programmes for university aid for development.

Universidad.es Foundation also offers a series of services for international governments, ministries and institutions:
 
1.    Centralised interlocution with Spanish universities as a whole (both public and private) when managing specific programmes.
 
2.    A tool for finding places in specific knowledge areas (sciences, humanities, etc.) and in all the Spanish universities involved in the Spanish university system (SUE), according to the requirements of the institution or government promoting the programme.
 
3.    Processing of students' applications for admission to Spanish universities.
 
4.    Sending admission letters issued by the Universities to the students' country of origin by mail/diplomatic pouch.
 
5.    Processing students' medical insurance, offering insurance with a wide range of coverage and special discounts.
 
6.    Generating action protocols for applications for student visas and their issue, in coordination with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
 
7.    Financial management of the Programme's funds, including actions such as paying enrolment fees to Spanish universities, monthly grant instalments, work experience in companies and institutions, etc.
 
8.    Coordinating the proper reception of students through academic and social tutors, accommodation advice, etc.
 
9.    Monitoring students' academic performance through reports sent to the institution or government promoting the programme.
 
10.    Managing applications for grant renewals.
 
11.    Support and guidance for students in the programme when opening a bank account in Spain.
 
12.    Legal guidance for students in the programme for obtaining the Study Stay Permit (NIE).
 
13.    Managing work experience at the end of the course or summer courses for students in the programme.
 
14.    Processing the issue, legalisation and sending of degrees (diplomas) to the students' country of origin.

Students and researchers who are interested in the Spanish university system can find more information at the different points outside Spain that support the work being done by Universidad.es: Spanish embassies and consulates, Technical Cooperation offices of the AECID (Spanish International Cooperation Agency for Development), branches of the Cervantes Institute and departments of the Ministry of Education.

The web page http://universidad.es/en is a tremendously useful tool for users. Here international students and researchers will find not only practical advice and guidelines for studying and living in Spain, but also a complete map of Spanish universities, a search engine for degrees, contact information for international students, information on grants, research projects, work experience and volunteer work……
 
Universidad.es is also present on all the main social networks to enable students to keep up to date instantly and much more interactively with the latest developments in the area of education, as they can send any questions and queries in real-time.
 
It also offers other methods of contact so that students can ask for advice at any time throughout the whole of the process of studying in Spain.
Telephone: +34 91 603 82 77
 
Fax: +34 91 603 88 23
 
Email: universidad.es@universidad.es