Frequently Asked Questions

University entrance exams (PAU)

When I pay for the PAU, can I use it for both exams (ordinary and extraordinary)?

The PAU fees are payable for each of the examinations. The amount of the fees is the same, 78.20 euros, regardless of the number of exams you take (only compulsory phase, compulsory and voluntary phase or only voluntary phase).

Is there any kind of discount when paying the PAU?

For the payment of PAU fees you have the following exemptions and bonuses. You will be exempt from paying the PAU fees if you are in any of the following situations: disability, large family of special category, single parent family of special category, victim of gender violence, victim of terrorism, victim of social exclusion, child protection system, judicial system of re-education, honors in the second year of high school or extraordinary prize of high school.

You will be exempt from paying 50% of the PAU fees if you are in any of the following situations: large family of general category or single parent family of general category.

Does the general core subject linked to the baccalaureate modality (Mathematics II, Mathematics Applied to Social Sciences II, Latin II or Fundamentals of Art II) of the compulsory phase score twice? What about the foreign language?

Yes, the grade of this subject is used twice, to calculate the average of the 5 of the compulsory phase and also for weighting, together with the other 4 (at most) of the voluntary phase that are used for weighting. The foreign language of the compulsory phase is in the same situation.

If I do not take the voluntary phase, will I also be weighted for the general core of the compulsory phase? What about the foreign language?

Yes, if a student does not take any subject in the voluntary phase, he/she can have a maximum of 14 points for admission to the university, in some degrees, because the general core subject taken with a link to the modality (Mathematics II, Mathematics Applied to Social Sciences II, Latin II or Fundamentals of Art II) is automatically weighted (in those degrees in which it is weighted), the same as the foreign language in the compulsory phase. It must be taken into account that the general core subject linked to modality always scores 0.2, in those branches in which it is weighted.

If I take the voluntary phase, will the subject of the compulsory phase also be weighted?

Yes, a student can have a maximum of 6 weighted subjects, the 4 subjects of the voluntary phase, the general core subject of the compulsory phase and the foreign language of the compulsory phase. The computer system will take, for each university degree, the grades of the 2 (of these 6 subjects) that result in the best admission grade for the student.

If I am a foreign student, that is to say, I study in a center of the Valencian Community but with a foreign educational system, or I come directly from another country, can I access the Valencian universities?

Yes, it is necessary to differentiate whether the country of study is one of those that have an access agreement with Spain or not. The conditions of access will be determined by the UNED. If the student has to take the PAU to access our universities, these tests must be taken at the UNED, the PCE tests. It will be the UNED that will issue a credential and will do the tests, with which you can access our university pre-registration procedure. You can consult the document on access and admission of foreign students.

What will the UNED exams be like for foreign students?

The UNED PCE exams can be consulted on the UNED website, at UNEDasiss.UNED website.

Can I be exempt from the Valencian exam in the PAU?

Students who have a positive resolution of exemption of Valencian in the PAU are exempted from taking the exercise of “Valencian: Language and Literature II” of the university entrance exam. The educational centers will only be able to grant the exemption of Valencian in the PAU if the student is in one of these two situations:

a) To have obtained a positive resolution of exemption of Valencian in 4th year of ESO or 1st or 2nd year of baccalaureate.
b) To have obtained a positive resolution of exemption of Valencian in the PAU by the General Directorate of Educational Policy.

Pre-registration for national students 

Where can I pre-register?

Online, through an assistant of the Generalitat Valenciana:www.preinscripcion.gva.es

How to obtain the key?

To enter the portal you must identify yourself with the username and password that you will be given on the first day of the PAU on the identification sticker sheet.

Can I start the procedures, even if I am missing some information?

Yes, when you start the procedures, a file is created where you provide the requested documentation. You can do it in several sessions as you have the requested data.

Do I need the original documents for pre-registration?

No, you can scan them and upload them as you have them. You will be asked to physically present some original documents such as the degree, but that will be when you are already studying at the UPV. You can submit them until December.

How will I know where I am admitted?

The document that certifies that you have passed the PAU is obtained through theStudent Portal. If you have been admitted to a UPV degree, we will send you a message to your cell phone number with the date and time to register online.

Where can I consult the subject weightings for each degree program?

How do you weight double degree subjects, if they are different scores in each degree?

Weigh the subject higher, always for the benefit of the student body.

Pre-registration for foreign students 

Pre-registration from the Spanish educational system outside Spain

The same steps are followed as for students studying in Spain. At the end of the 2nd year of high school, the university entrance exams (PAU) are taken and the university entrance grade is obtained. Pre-registration is done online, through an assistant of the Generalitat Valenciana:www.preinscripcion.gva.es

Pre-registration from other educational systems

To gain access to the UPV, students must first complete two procedures. On the one hand, accreditation, which is done on the UNEDasiss website, and on the other hand, homologation, which is done on the website of the Spanish Ministry of Education. For the educational systems of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) or countries with reciprocity agreements, only accreditation is required. For the rest, homologation and accreditation are required. It is highly recommended to start the procedures with the UNED and the Ministry as soon as possible. Even if the application for accreditation at the UNED has not been resolved, students must pre-register on time.

What is UNEDasiss accreditation?

The UNEDasiss Accreditation is a digital certificate that allows students to participate in university admission processes in Spain and consists of the evaluation of academic records obtained in international educational systems in a homogeneous and regulated manner. This accreditation also includes the scores of specific competency tests (PCE) taken at UNED, as well as other services requested by the student.

Access

What do I need to be able to access the university?

If you have studied the baccalaureate, you must pass the university entrance exams (PAU). However, you can access without the PAU if you have a Higher Vocational Training Technician, Higher Sports Technician or Higher Technician in Plastic Arts and Design. And also if you already have another university degree. And if you have taken pre-university studies in a foreign educational system, you must go to the UNED. In all cases you have to do the university pre-registration, to obtain a place in a degree.

What is the NAU (university entrance qualification)?

This grade is calculated as the weighted average of 60% of the average grade of the baccalaureate and 40% of the grade of the compulsory phase. In order to average it is necessary that the grade of the compulsory phase is equal or higher than 4 points. You will pass the PAU when your university entrance qualification (NAU) is equal to or higher than 5 points. Your NAU score is valid indefinitely. And the maximum you can get here is 10 points.

What is a college admission score?

Here the weightings come into play, that is, those subjects of the voluntary phase and some of the compulsory phase that are weighted 0.1 or 0.2 depending on the degree you choose. And the maximum you can get here is 14 points.

At the UPV, we have designed a grade simulator, for information purposes and without any legal validity, so that you can calculate what could be your access grade and your admission grade:
http://www.upv.es/pls/oalu/sic_simula.frmNotas?P_IDIOMA=c

What are the cut-off grades and where can I find them?

The cut-off grades are not set by the public universities, but it is the admission grade of the last student enrolled in that particular degree at that particular university. The cut-off grades may vary from one year to another, but they usually vary little. They depend on demand, i.e., the cut-off grade is set by the students who enter the university each year, according to their admission grade.

The cut-off marks can be consulted on each of the websites of the public universities of the Comunitat Valenciana. For example, in the UPV:
http://www.upv.es/pls/oalu/sic_futuroalumno.notascorte?p_idioma=c

And on the website of the Generalitat Valenciana:
http://www.ceice.gva.es/va/web/universidad/preinscripcion

What should I do when I finish a higher education cycle if I want to start university studies?

You can pre-enroll, without having to take the PAU. But keep in mind that you will be in the same quota as high school students who do take the PAU and their university admission grade can reach 14 points, while yours can reach 10 points. Depending on the degree you want to study (and taking into account the cut-off grade) you can take the voluntary phase of the PAU exams to raise your grade. But this is voluntary.

If I have not obtained a place in the degree I want to study, what can I do?

  • You can take the voluntary phase of the PAU to improve your grade.
  • You can start another degree and when the period to apply for “continuation of studies” opens, from mid-February to early March, apply to change to the degree you wanted to study. Important: 1) at least 30 credits must be recognized in the new university studies you want to access, and 2) very few places are offered, and the places are awarded on the basis of the university academic record, i.e., the grade. You can find all the information on this subject on the Student Services website:http://www.upv.es/entidades/SA/ciclos/528248normalc.html
  • You can study a higher education cycle related to the degree you want to study.

What can I do if I want to change my university studies?

When the period to apply for “continuation of studies” opens, from mid-February to early March, apply for the change to the degree you want to study. Important: 1) at least 30 credits must be recognized in the new university studies you want to access, and 2) very few places are offered, and places are awarded based on the university transcript, i.e. the grade. You can find all the information on this subject on the Student Services website:http://www.upv.es/entidades/SA/ciclos/528248normalc.html 

Who can apply for admission by continuation of studies?

Only students with partial official Spanish university studies or with foreign university studies may apply for admission by continuation of studies.

How do I transfer my transcript from another university to the UPV?

Admission by change of studies, payment of the corresponding fee at the center of origin and enrollment at the UPV. Admission by change of studies is compatible with the general pre-enrollment, that is, both applications can be made.

Admission by change of studies: a previous equivalency study with a minimum of 30 approved credits is required.

Admission by pre-enrollment: credit recognition is done after enrollment and is requested through the intranet.

Enrollment and costs

What do I have to pay when I enroll in a university degree?

The UPV is a public university and its prices are subsidized. The first year usually costs between 1,000 and 1,300 euros. Plus secretarial and homologation fees, which do not reach 200 euros.

The price of your tuition depends on the number of credits you register for and the price per credit. The price per credit is established annually by the Conselleria and varies depending on the level of experimentality to which the degree in which you have enrolled belongs. It also varies depending on whether it is a first, second, third or successive enrollment, that is, if you repeat subjects. You can consult the fees decree at the following link:
http://www.upv.es/entidades/SA/ciclos/528304normalc.html

In addition to the credits you register for, you must pay the following fees:

– Opening of a file, in case it is the first time you enroll in a course of studies.
– Official Academic Certificate (CAO), where the grades of the university entrance exams (PAU) are recorded.
– Issuance/maintenance of university ID card.
– School insurance (if you are under 28 years old).

What are the methods of payment?

The payment methods you can choose to pay your tuition are:

  • Debit account in a period of time
  • Charged to account in two installments
  • Charged to account in monthly installments (8 months)
  • Credit card in one installment
  • Credit card in two installments

In the self-enrollment form you will indicate which payment method you prefer. The first payment is not due until September.

Is there any reason for exemption from payment of tuition fees?

Yes, you will be exempt from paying tuition fees if you are in any of the following situations: disability, large family of special category, single parent family of special category, victim of gender violence, victim of terrorism, social exclusion situation, child protection system, judicial system of re-education, honors in the second year of high school or extraordinary prize of high school.

You will be exempt from paying 50% of your tuition fees if you are in any of the following situations: large family in the general category or single parent family in the general category.

If I obtain an honors degree in any subject of the course, will I be entitled to any type of fee exemption?

Yes, you will receive a discount on the tuition fee for the immediately following academic year, equivalent to the price of the same number of credits in which you obtained the honorary registration, as long as you enroll in the same studies.

Scholarships and grants

What scholarships and grants can I apply for?

There are three ways to access grants.

– The scholarships of the Spanish administration, Ministry of Education and Generalitat Valenciana, are aimed at people who have the nationality or permanent residence.

– Scholarships from the UPV and other private organizations are normally awarded on the basis of merit and socioeconomic conditions, regardless of nationality.

– Finally, it is also interesting for the student to find out about grants in his or her own country.

If I have an honors degree, do I get the first year of college free?

Students with honors in the overall evaluation of the 2nd year of baccalaureate or with extraordinary award in baccalaureate have, during the first year and for one time only, a total exemption from the payment of tuition fees. Likewise, they are entitled to exemption from registration fees for the university entrance exams (PAU).

What do I have to do to justify the next year’s honors course?

When you enroll in a UPV degree program, the self-enrollment application will ask you if you have obtained a baccalaureate honors degree (or extraordinary baccalaureate award). If you answer yes, the university will take this into account in order not to charge you for teaching activities (administrative fees are paid).

You must upload a scan of the corresponding document to the application in each case:

  • High school honors: certificate issued by your school.
  • Extraordinary baccalaureate award: certificate certifying the award.

Through the intranet you will be able to see when your center validates the documentation you have submitted at registration (generally from September onwards). If it is incomplete or incorrect, the secretary’s office of your center will contact you so that you can provide what is missing.

Accommodations

I do not live in Valencia, where can I stay?

There are halls of residence and university residences close to the three UPV campuses: Vera (Valencia), Alcoy and Gandia.http://www.upv.es/perfiles/estudiante/alojamientos-residencias-es.html

You can also stay in a shared apartment near the campus. The UPV helps its students free of charge to find accommodation that meets their expectations and needs. To this end, it maintains a database that serves as a meeting point between students and individuals who offer rooms in shared apartments, accommodation in a family’s home or apartments to rent.http://www.upv.es/perfiles/estudiante/alojamientos-upv-es.html