Study in Spain: Costs, Visa, Universities and Scholarships for Pakistani Students

Spain combines reasonable public university fees, lower living costs than northern Europe and, since May 2025, some of the most generous student work rules in the EU: up to 30 hours a week. One-year official master's degrees (máster universitario) are short and practical, business schools in Madrid and Barcelona are ranked among the best in the world, and a large Pakistani community lives in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia.

The main things to plan for are language (most bachelor's degrees are in Spanish or Catalan), the strict paperwork for the visa (sworn translations and attested documents), and fees that vary a lot from one region to another.

All money figures use €1 ≈ PKR 310 (October 2026). Rates move, so recalculate before you apply.

Quick facts	Spain
Language of teaching	Spanish (and Catalan, Basque or Galician in some regions); growing number of English-taught master's
Academic year / intake	September/October; a few programmes start in February
Public university tuition (non-EU)	Approx. €700 to €3,500 a year for bachelor's; approx. €1,000 to €5,000+ for master's, depending on region
Private universities / business schools	Approx. €6,000 to €20,000+ a year; top business school master's €30,000+
Monthly living cost	Approx. €650 to €1,500 (PKR 201,500 to 465,000)
Part-time work	Up to 30 hours a week with a student permit for higher education
Post-study stay	Job search permit of up to 12 months after a university degree

Budget options: what you can do on every budget

Budget	Route	What it looks like
Fully funded	Erasmus Mundus joint master's with a Spanish partner; "la Caixa" INPhINIT doctoral fellowships; funded PhD contracts (FPU/FPI-type and project contracts)	Erasmus Mundus covers tuition, travel and a monthly allowance. INPhINIT is open to all nationalities and pays a three-year PhD salary. Project-funded PhD contracts pay a monthly salary and no tuition.
Low fee + scholarship	Public university in a low-fee region (Andalusia, Galicia, Valencia, Extremadura) + university scholarship or fee waiver	Public tuition approx. €700 to €2,500 a year, plus a university merit award if available. Total approx. €9,000 to €13,000 a year (PKR 2.8 to 4 million).
Self-funded, mid-range	Public university in Madrid or Barcelona, or a mid-priced private university	Tuition approx. €2,500 to €8,000 plus €950 to €1,300 a month. Total approx. €14,000 to €24,000 a year (PKR 4.3 to 7.4 million).
Self-funded, premium	Business schools (IE, ESADE, IESE) and premium private universities	Tuition approx. €20,000 to €40,000+ and €1,200 to €1,500 a month. Total approx. €35,000 to €58,000 a year (PKR 10.9 to 18 million). Schools offer partial merit scholarships.

Spain has fewer large government scholarships open to Pakistani students than Italy or France. The main fully funded routes are Erasmus Mundus and funded PhDs, so apply early and widely.

University costs

Public universities. Each region (comunidad autónoma) sets prices per ECTS credit every year. A full year is 60 credits. Some regions charge non-EU students who are not residents a higher rate:

• Andalusia, Galicia and some other regions: among the cheapest; bachelor's often approx. €700 to €1,600 a year.
• Madrid: non-EU students without residence often pay a higher rate. For example, Universidad Complutense de Madrid lists the master's rate for non-EU non-residents at €84.07 per ECTS, about €5,000 for 60 credits (approx. PKR 1.55 million).
• Catalonia: non-EU master's students often pay a higher non-resident rate. Check each university's fee page.

Prices are published every summer, so treat these as approx. and check your university's "precios públicos" page.

Private universities and business schools charge the same fee to all nationalities, approx. €6,000 to €20,000 a year, and much more for top business school master's.

Bachelor's entry. Pakistani FSc/A-level students usually need the UNEDasiss accreditation, and some programmes need entrance exams (PCE). Master's applicants apply directly to the university; a separate homologation is not usually required for admission, but you need HEC-attested documents.

Application fees: usually €0 to €100 at public universities (some pre-registration fees of approx. €30 to €50), and €50 to €150 at private ones.

Living costs

City	Rent (shared room)	Food	Transport	Total per month
Madrid	€450 to €700	€200 to €250	€20 (youth pass)	approx. €950 to €1,500 (PKR 294,500 to 465,000)
Barcelona	€450 to €750	€200 to €250	€20 to €40	approx. €950 to €1,500 (PKR 294,500 to 465,000)
Valencia	€300 to €500	€180 to €230	€20 to €30	approx. €600 to €1,200 (PKR 186,000 to 372,000)
Seville / Granada	€250 to €450	€150 to €220	€20 to €35	approx. €650 to €1,030 (PKR 201,500 to 319,300)

These are approximate ranges. University residences cost approx. €300 to €700+ a month, often with meals.

Scholarships and need-based funding

Erasmus Mundus joint master's. Spain is a partner in more Erasmus Mundus programmes than almost any other country. Full scholarships cover tuition, travel and a monthly allowance. Deadlines usually fall between October and January for the following September.

"la Caixa" Foundation INPhINIT doctoral fellowships. Open to researchers of all nationalities for PhDs at accredited Spanish and Portuguese research centres. Calls usually open in the autumn or winter. Check lacaixafoundation.org for current dates.

Funded PhD contracts. Spanish universities and research centres (CSIC, Severo Ochoa and María de Maeztu centres) hire PhD students on paid contracts. Look at EURAXESS Spain and university job boards.

MAEC-AECID scholarships. The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation runs scholarship calls, but most are aimed at specific regions such as Latin America. Check aecid.es each year to see whether Pakistan is eligible.

University scholarships. Many universities give merit scholarships or fee discounts to international master's students (for example Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Universidad de Navarra and the business schools). Spanish government general grants (becas del Ministerio) are mainly for residents, so most new Pakistani students do not qualify.

Browse current options at /scholarships?country=Spain.

Student visa: steps, documents and fees

1. Get your admission letter from a Spanish university (it should confirm full-time study, fees and the language of instruction).
2. Prepare and attest documents. Degrees and transcripts must be attested by HEC (IBCC for school certificates) and MOFA, and then apostilled or legalised as the current Embassy checklist states. All documents need a sworn translation into Spanish (traductor jurado). See the HEC attestation guide.
3. Submit at the Spain Visa Application Centre run by BLS-Intiana in Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi. For national visas, a prior appointment is not usually required, but you must apply in person.
4. Wait for the decision from the Embassy of Spain in Islamabad.

Key documents: national visa application form, photos, passport valid for the whole stay, CNIC, admission letter, study programme details, proof of English (IELTS/TOEFL) or Spanish level, accommodation proof, bank statements for the last six months, health insurance, and attested and translated degrees. For courses longer than 180 days, Spanish rules also ask for a police clearance certificate and a medical certificate, both translated. Use the current checklist on the BLS website.

Proof of funds: 100% of IPREM per month. IPREM for 2026 is €600 a month, so a 10-month course needs €6,000 (approx. PKR 1.86 million) and a 12-month stay €7,200 (approx. PKR 2.23 million). Showing more (€8,000 to €10,000) gives a safer margin. Parental sponsorship is accepted with proof of relationship.

Health insurance: a policy covering the full stay, at least €30,000, including repatriation, with no co-payments for long stays. Many students buy a Spanish insurer's student policy.

Fees: visa fee PKR 29,578 (approx. €95) plus a PKR 5,519 service fee, paid in cash at the centre. Amounts change with the exchange rate.

Processing time: at the Embassy's discretion; allow 4 to 8 weeks and apply at least three months before your course starts.

Within one month of arriving, apply for your student card (TIE) at the police station or foreigners' office.

Working while studying and after graduating

Since the immigration regulation that came into force on 20 May 2025, students in higher education and vocational training can work up to 30 hours a week (as employees or self-employed) without a separate work permit, as long as the work fits with their studies. Bars, restaurants, tourism, delivery, English tutoring and retail are common. Spanish is very helpful.

After graduating from a university degree, you can apply for a job search permit for up to 12 months. Apply within 60 days before or 90 days after your student card expires. Once you have a job offer, switch to a work permit. Some sources refer to longer periods for certain master's graduates, so check with the foreigners' office.

Month-by-month timeline (for September 2027 intake)

When	What to do
Oct to Dec 2026	Shortlist programmes, take IELTS (and DELE Spanish if needed), start HEC/IBCC attestation
Oct 2026 to Jan 2027	Apply for Erasmus Mundus; check INPhINIT dates
Jan to Apr 2027	Apply to master's programmes (many fill places in rounds from January); UNEDasiss for bachelor's
Apr to Jun 2027	Admission decisions; pay deposit; arrange accommodation
May to Jun 2027	MOFA attestation, apostille or legalisation, sworn translations, police and medical certificates
Jun to Aug 2027	Submit visa at BLS; wait for decision
Sep 2027	Travel, register address (empadronamiento), apply for TIE

Common mistakes Pakistani applicants make

• Leaving sworn translations and attestation too late. They can take weeks.
• Choosing a Spanish-taught programme without the required Spanish level.
• Showing a sudden deposit instead of six months of steady bank history.
• Buying insurance with co-payments or too little cover, which leads to refusal.
• Ignoring regional fee rules. The same master's can cost very different amounts in Madrid and Andalusia.
• Using agents who promise "guaranteed" visas. Read how to avoid scams.

More help: document checklist, English test guide, visa and pre-departure checklist, master's motivation letter sample.

Official links

• Spain Visa Application Centre (BLS-Intiana), study visa: https://thespainvisa.com/national-study-visa.php
• National visa FAQs: https://thespainvisa.com/faq-national.php
• Embassy of Spain in Pakistan: https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/islamabad/
• Study in Spain (official portal): https://www.studyinspain.info/
• UNEDasiss (bachelor's accreditation): https://unedasiss.uned.es/
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid fees: https://www.ucm.es/informacion/tuition-fees-precios-publicos
• "la Caixa" Foundation fellowships: https://lacaixafoundation.org/
• AECID scholarships: https://www.aecid.es/
• EURAXESS Spain: https://www.euraxess.es/
• Erasmus Mundus catalogue: https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en

Figures checked on 10 October 2026. Always confirm on the official sites before applying.