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School enrolment in Spain – nurseries, state and international schools, and university

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

If your child is between 6 and 16, Spain must find them a school place whenever you arrive, whatever the month. This guide to school enrolment in Spain covers the steps region by region, what nurseries cost, how to check an international school and how to get into a Spanish university.

Teacher smiling as she helps a group of girls with their schoolwork
Photo: Konstantin Yuganov/Adobe Stock

School enrolment in Spain follows regional calendars, and the 2026-27 school year is already under way. In the Comunidad de Madrid, infant and primary classes started on 7 September 2026 and secondary classes on 8 September; both end on 18 June 2027. In Barcelona, municipal nurseries are free for two- to three-year-olds this year, apart from meals. And since 20 May 2025, non-EU university students can work alongside their studies without a separate permit.

Regional education authorities run admissions, so dates, forms and nursery fees depend on where you live.

How does the school system in Spain work?

Basic education – primary plus compulsory secondary – is compulsory and free for everyone. It lasts ten years, normally from age 6 to 16, and pupils may stay in ordinary basic education until 18. Before that, educación infantil (early childhood education) is voluntary.

StageAges or lengthCompulsory?What applies
Educación infantil, first cycle (nursery)0–3NoNo national right to a free place; fees vary by region and city
Educación infantil, second cycle3–6NoFree in public and concertado (publicly funded private) schools
Educación Primaria (primary)6–12, six school yearsYesFree
ESO (compulsory secondary education)12–16, four school yearsYesFree
Bachillerato (upper secondary)Two years, three in some casesNoRequires the ESO graduate title or certain vocational, arts or sports titles

Source: Ley Orgánica 2/2006 on Education (LOE), read 23 September 2026.

Children arriving from abroad must be admitted at any time during compulsory school age, in the year that best fits their circumstances, knowledge, age and school record, with support. According to the Ministry of Education, foreign school records need no convalidación (recognition) up to the fourth year of ESO.

School enrolment in Spain: how do you get a place after you arrive?

In Madrid and Catalonia, the main round runs in March for the following September, and both regions provide for families who arrive later. In the Comunidad de Madrid, the Servicios de Apoyo a la Escolarización (SAE, school placement services) of the territorial education directorates assign places to children who applied late or not at all. In Catalonia, you can ask for a place outside the preinscripció (pre-enrolment) if, for example, your child is not yet at school there.

RegionMain round for 2026-27If you arrive later
Comunidad de Madrid – schools, from infant classes at 3 to BachilleratoApplications 11–25 March 2026; enrolment 11–25 June (secondary: 11 June–3 July)The SAE of your territorial directorate assigns a place
Comunidad de Madrid – regional nurseries, 0–3Applications 11–25 March 2026Extraordinary application at the chosen nursery, from 1 July 2026
Catalonia – infant classes 3–6, primary and ESOPreinscripció 4–18 March 2026Free request online or at an Oficina Municipal d'Escolarització (OME, municipal schooling office), listing up to four schools

Source: Comunidad de Madrid and Generalitat de Catalunya, read 23 September 2026.

In Catalonia, Catalan is normally the language of teaching, under the Statute of Autonomy. Everywhere, regional authorities must run programmes for pupils with serious gaps in Spanish, alongside ordinary classes, and advise parents whose children join late.

Your permit and your child's schooling are linked. Under Ley Orgánica 4/2000, foreign children under 16 have the right and the duty to education, and under-18s the same right to post-compulsory education and grants as Spaniards, whatever their residence status. Non-EU residents must show a regional report that their school-age children attend school when renewing a permit or applying for long-term residence. For asylum seekers, the reception system should give children access to school within three months of the application.

Nurseries in Spain: is there a free place for a child under three?

Not as a national right: the law only obliges public authorities to add places step by step until every application can be met, and every nursery for under-threes must be authorised by the education authority. What you pay depends on where you live.

WhereWhat is freeWhat you pay
Comunidad de Madrid – regional Escuelas Infantiles and Casas de NiñosSchooling, since the 2019/2020 school yearExtended hours, in half-hour blocks, and meals
Barcelona – municipal escoles bressol, group for ages 2–3Schooling, in 2026-27Meals, on an income-based social tariff
Barcelona – municipal escoles bressol, ages 4 months to 2 yearsNothingSchooling and meals, on the social tariff

Source: Comunidad de Madrid and Ajuntament de Barcelona (Barcelona City Council), read 23 September 2026.

Barcelona puts the cost of a municipal nursery place at about €9,570 a school year, more than half of it paid by the city; families pay for ten months, September to June. For the social tariff, parents without a Spanish NIF or NIE (foreigner identity number) must attach tax returns from their country of origin with a sworn translation, or the top band, tramo 10, applies.

Under the income tax law, working mothers – or in some cases the father or guardian – can deduct up to €1,200 a year for each child under 3, plus up to €1,000 for fees at an authorised nursery. Part 7 covers tax.

International schools in Spain: what should you check?

To operate legally, a foreign school must be entered in the public register of the regional education authority, under Real Decreto 806/1993. A school teaching only a foreign education system may not admit pupils of Spanish nationality unless they also hold the nationality of that system's country – worth knowing if your child is Spanish or has dual nationality.

To have a foreign school-leaving qualification recognised, apply to the Ministry of Education for homologación (official recognition) through its Sede Electrónica (e-office) or at any official registry, including a Spanish consulate. Homologation to the ESO graduate title is free; others carry fee 079, whose amount the ministry pages did not show.

Going to university in Spain: access, fees and student permits

According to the Comunidad de Madrid, holders of the European Baccalaureate, the International Baccalaureate Diploma or a school-leaving title from an EU or agreement country get a credential through UNEDasiss and need no homologation. Others must first have their studies homologated to the Spanish Bachiller by the Ministry of Education.

Each autonomous community sets public university fees per ECTS credit, within a national framework of containment or reduction; a full year is usually 60 ECTS. The Comunidad de Madrid's latest published prices are for 2025-26.

Comunidad de Madrid public universities, 2025-26Price
Bachelor's degree, experimentality level 3 (for example Business Administration), first enrolment€16.92 per credit – €1,015.20 for 60 ECTS
Official master's degree (non-professional)€45.02 per credit; €71.88 second enrolment; €84.07 third and later
Non-EU foreign students over 18 who are not residentFourth-enrolment price for bachelor's and professional master's degrees
Large familiesSpecial category free; general category 50 % off

Source: Comunidad de Madrid – public university prices, read 23 September 2026.

Nationwide, students with a disability and victims of gender-based violence pay no academic fees at public universities.

Non-EU students need a long-stay study authorisation (part 2): over 17 for higher education, with 100 per cent of the IPREM (the public income benchmark), €600 a month in 2026, unless accommodation is prepaid. You may work up to 30 hours a week, and a bachelor's degree or higher from a Spanish institution opens a 24-month permit to look for work or start a business. Under a ministry guideline of 7 August 2026, doctoral candidates fall under the national research permit.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Missed the main round? Contact the SAE (Madrid) or apply outside the preinscripció (Catalonia)As soon as you arrive
2Ask your child's current school for their school recordBefore you move
3Under-threes: apply to a nursery; in Barcelona, bring translated tax returns for the social tariffMadrid: extraordinary round open since 1 July 2026
4Check that an international school is on the regional registerBefore you sign
5Non-EU parents: keep the regional report on your children's schoolingFor every permit renewal
6University: get a UNEDasiss credential or homologation to the BachillerWell before you apply

Source: Comunidad de Madrid, Generalitat de Catalunya and Ajuntament de Barcelona, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.