MBBS & Medicine Abroad

Medicine in Spain (MB BS/MD)

Spanish medicine is the six-year Grado en Medicina — the University of Barcelona is the reference example. International applicants have their school credentials assessed through UNED (UNEDasiss), and some universities add their own Specific Competency Test (PCE). There is no single national entrance exam.Global Admissions tracks 7 verified programmes in Spain, with sourced tuition from EUR 1,200–10,000 a year.

Quick facts

Degree: Grado en Medicinasource
Duration: 6 years — based on the University of Barcelonasource
Verified programmes: 7
Tuition range: EUR 1,200–10,000
Intake months: September
Entrance requirement: International routes vary by origin — UNEDasiss accreditation and, at some universities, Specific Competency Tests (PCE); check the target university's own process.source
Language reality: Mostly Catalan/Spanish-taught — the University of Barcelona reports its Medicine degree at Catalan 79.7%, Spanish 15.1%, English 5.2%.source

Tuition, sourced

Show fees in:

5 of 7 verified Spain programmes with published tuition, cheapest first
University & programme	City	Tuition (sourced)
University of Granada Medicine	—	1,200 EUR per year
Complutense University of Madrid Medicine	Madrid	1,603 EUR per year
University of Barcelona Medicine	—	4,357 EUR per year
University of Valencia Medicine	—	9,000 EUR per year
Autonomous University of Madrid Medicine	Madrid	10,000 EUR per year

Fees as recorded from university-published data; verify on the university page before budgeting.

Who can apply

UNEDasiss states that international admission pathways vary by origin and educational background: its accreditation can include PCE results, and applicants need to verify directly with their chosen university whether it uses UNEDasiss and which tests it requires. For applicants from outside the EU or reciprocal-agreement systems, UNEDasiss identifies recognition of upper-secondary studies as an essential step toward that accreditation, so the process starts well before the university's own application.

Two of the largest sending markets add their own pre-departure requirements on top of whatever a Spanish university and UNEDasiss ask for: Indian citizens intending a primary medical qualification abroad must qualify NEET-UG, treated as their Eligibility Certificate once they otherwise meet MBBS admission criteria, and Pakistani students must verify the institution against PM&DC's own list and obtain a PM&DC Student Registration Certificate before accepting a place.

Scholarships, honestly

Global Admissions' scholarship data doesn't currently list a named medicine scholarship for Spain. That doesn't rule one out at a specific university — it means budget on the assumption of full, self-funded tuition unless you find and verify one yourself.

Full self-funded tuition — the realistic default. Budget for the sticker price.

Global Admissions' scholarship data doesn't currently list a named medicine scholarship for Spain — budget for full, self-funded tuition and check each university's own fee page for a merit discount.

Spain scholarship guide Fully-funded Spain scholarships

Coming home licensed

What a Spain medical degree takes to turn into a practising licence back home — three of Global Admissions' largest origin markets, each with its own regulator and exam chain.

Coming home to India▾

1
Does a Spain medical degree qualify?
NMC's FAQ for the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 states that covered foreign medical graduates need at least 54 months of study and a 12-month internship in the same foreign institution. It distinguishes the internship from clinical posting during the course and also describes a supervised internship in India after qualification. This is a home-country rule, not confirmation that any Spanish programme meets it.
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2
Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), also called the Screening Test
The Government of India identifies FMGE as the screening test for registration to practise in India after obtaining a primary medical qualification overseas. NMC's Screening Test Regulations require a screening test for an Indian citizen seeking provisional or permanent registration after a foreign primary medical qualification.
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3
National Exit Test (NExT), or another test mandated by NMC for the applicable cohort
For graduates governed by the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021, NMC lists clearance of NExT or another test mandated by NMC as a condition for permanent registration. This condition should not be read as proof that every foreign-graduate cohort must take both FMGE and NExT.
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4
No separate named examination
NMC's registration guidance says that a foreign medical graduate who clears FMGE and fulfils the stated criteria may receive provisional registration from a State Medical Council for a 12-month internship or the balance period, as applicable.
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5
No separate named examination
For graduates governed by FMGL Regulations 2021, permanent registration requires a supervised internship in India for at least 12 months. NMC's Screening Test Regulations also describe permanent registration after the required one-year internship for eligible candidates.
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6
No separate named examination beyond the applicable licensing-test requirement
Permanent registration is the registration that permits independent practice of modern scientific medicine in India. A foreign medical graduate may not practise in India without permanent registration under FMGL Regulations 2021.
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Coming home to Pakistan▾

1
Does a Spain medical degree qualify?
PM&DC's policy for Pakistani students seeking undergraduate medical or dental education abroad says students must verify that the institution appears on PM&DC's list, obtain a PM&DC Student Registration Certificate before accepting study, and pass the PM&DC National Registration Examination after qualification. This pack makes no claim that a Spanish institution is on that list.
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2
MDCAT where applicable; no additional named examination for the certificate
Before accepting study at a foreign undergraduate medical or dental institution, the PM&DC policy requires the student to obtain a PM&DC Student Registration Certificate and verify that the institution is on PM&DC's list.
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3
No separate named examination
A Pakistani foreign medical or dental graduate with an undergraduate qualification from a foreign university or institution recognised by PM&DC may be granted provisional registration to undertake a house job after the granting institution verifies the qualification.
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4
National Registration Examination (NRE)
Passing NRE is mandatory for full registration for Pakistani foreign graduates. The official NRE medical syllabus states that eligible candidates must pass both its theory and Clinical Skills Examination components separately.
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5
No separate named examination
PM&DC requires a minimum one-year, assessed, hands-on clinical internship, foundation year, or house job in an approved hospital or institution for conversion of provisional registration to full registration.
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6
No separate named examination beyond NRE
For Pakistani foreign graduates, full registration depends on satisfying the NRE requirement and the mandatory training requirement associated with provisional registration.
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Coming home to Nigeria▾

1
Does a Spain medical degree qualify?
MDCN says foreign-trained Nigerian medical and dental graduates seeking registration in Nigeria, including candidates sitting its assessment examination, may apply for primary-source verification of credentials through DataFlow. This is a registration-process note, not recognition of a specific Spanish degree.
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2
Primary-source verification (PSV)
MDCN says foreign-trained Nigerian medical and dental graduates seeking registration in Nigeria, including people sitting the MDCN assessment examination, may apply for primary-source verification of their credentials through DataFlow.
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3
MDCN Assessment Examination (application route; individual applicability must be confirmed)
MDCN lists Assessment Examination as an online application service and provides its application route. The cited notice does not say that every foreign-trained graduate must sit or pass it, so the individual requirement must be confirmed with MDCN.
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4
No separate named examination at this step
MDCN states that newly graduated medical and dental practitioners must complete 12 uninterrupted months of housemanship at an MDCN-accredited training centre to be eligible for full registration.
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5
No separate named examination at this step
MDCN identifies completion of the accredited 12-month housemanship requirement as the condition for eligibility for full registration.
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6
Annual practising licence
MDCN says registered practitioners must pay the prescribed annual practising fee and that practising without paying it is an offence under section 14 of the MDCN Act.
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What to weigh

Teaching language is the biggest gap between expectation and reality here: the University of Barcelona reports its Medicine degree's teaching language as Catalan 79.7%, Spanish 15.1%, and English 5.2% — a named-university example, not a national rule, but it shows that medicine in Spain runs overwhelmingly in Catalan or Spanish rather than as an English-taught track, so language preparation needs to happen well before enrolling, not after.

Admission is also more procedural than a single entrance exam suggests: UNEDasiss accreditation and, at some universities, the Specific Competency Test add a step most other destinations don't require, and exactly which tests apply depends on the specific university — confirm that early rather than late in the application cycle. And whether a Spanish medical degree converts into a licence back home depends on your national regulator, not the degree alone — India's NMC sets conditions including years of study and a same-institution internship, Pakistan's PM&DC checks institutional recognition before departure and after return, and Nigeria's MDCN runs its own verification and assessment route for foreign-trained graduates — covered step by step below.

Upcoming deadlines

Medicine
University of Barcelona
Nov 2, 2026
Medicine
University of Granada
May 1, 2027
Medicine
Complutense University of Madrid
May 31, 2027
Medicine
Autonomous University of Madrid
Jun 28, 2027
Medicine
University of Valencia
Jul 9, 2027

Frequently asked questions

What is the medium of instruction?

Mostly Catalan and Spanish, not English — the University of Barcelona reports its Medicine degree's teaching language as Catalan 79.7%, Spanish 15.1%, and English 5.2%. That's a named-university example rather than a claim about every Spanish medical school, but it shows English-medium teaching isn't the default the way it can be at specific institutions in other destinations, so verify a target university's own current language breakdown before assuming otherwise.

What is the eligibility criteria for admission?

It depends on where you're applying from — UNEDasiss states that international admission pathways vary by origin and educational background, and its accreditation can include a Specific Competency Test (PCE) depending on the university. Applicants from outside the EU or reciprocal-agreement systems need recognition of their upper-secondary studies as an essential step toward that accreditation; beyond that, check directly with the target university for its own criteria and whether it uses UNEDasiss at all, rather than assuming one nationwide rule applies.

Can I practice medicine in India after my graduation?

Only after separately clearing India's licensing chain for foreign medical graduates — a Spanish medical degree doesn't do it automatically. The National Medical Commission's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 require at least 54 months of study and a 12-month internship completed at the same foreign institution — distinct from clinical posting during the course itself — English as the medium of instruction, eligibility for a licence in the country of training, a further 12-month supervised internship back in India, and clearing the National Exit Test or another NMC-mandated test for that cohort.

Can I practise in Pakistan with a degree from abroad?

Only through PM&DC's own process, and only if the granting institution's qualification is one PM&DC recognises: a Pakistani graduate of a recognised foreign university may be granted provisional registration for a house job once the institution verifies the qualification, then needs to pass the National Registration Examination — both its theory and Clinical Skills Examination components — plus complete a minimum one-year assessed clinical internship or house job at a PM&DC-approved hospital before full registration follows.

What is the total cost of MBBS abroad without a scholarship?

For Spain specifically, Global Admissions' verified programmes show published tuition for 5 of 7 listed programmes, all priced in euros, ranging from EUR 1,200 to EUR 10,000 a year. That figure is tuition only — living costs, application and accreditation fees including UNEDasiss processing, and travel sit on top of it, so the sourced fee table above is a starting point for budgeting, not the full cost.

CAN A NIGERIAN STUDENT THAT STUDIED MBBS IN FOREIGN COUNTRY DO INTERNSHIP / HOUSEMSNSHIP AND PRACTICE IN NIGERIA ?

Yes, but only after Nigeria's Medical and Dental Council clears the same chain it runs for every foreign-trained graduate: primary-source verification of credentials through DataFlow, MDCN's Assessment Examination on the application route it publishes (individual applicability needs confirming with MDCN directly), 12 uninterrupted months of housemanship at an MDCN-accredited training centre, and then full registration plus the annual practising licence fee required under the MDCN Act. That chain applies to a Spanish degree the same as any other foreign qualification — MDCN's process doesn't single out one destination country.

Is qualifying NEET compulsory?

Yes for Indian citizens, regardless of destination — the Indian government requires Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India intending a primary medical qualification abroad on or after May 2018 to qualify NEET, with the result treated as their Eligibility Certificate once they otherwise meet MBBS admission criteria. That sits alongside, not instead of, whatever a specific Spanish university and UNEDasiss require for admission itself.

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How to verify this page

Confirm the university appears on your home country's medical regulator list (e.g. NMC, PMDC, MDCN) before applying.
Cross-check the tuition figure on the university's own official fee page — not a third-party agent site.
Confirm the teaching language matches what you can actually study in (English-medium vs local-language track).
Check the exact degree title awarded (MBBS vs MD vs Bachelor of Medicine) and whether it's recognised back home.
Ask about the internship and clinical-rotation structure — some programmes require it happen abroad, not at home.
Understand your home country's return-home licensing rule (e.g. NEET, MDCAT, a screening exam) before you commit.