Studying in Germany from Spain: €0 tuition, EBAU and uni-assist

Your Bachillerato plus the EBAU already opens German universities — not through an equivalence exam, not through a preparatory year, but directly: DAAD's own Spanish guidance states that the Spanish secondary diploma with the university-entrance exam gives Allgemeiner Hochschulzugang, general university access, the same status a German Abitur carries. Nobody needs a visa for this, and nobody needs a blocked account: the guides leading with a €11,904 Sperrkonto are describing a route that belongs to non-EU applicants.

Which qualification opens which door

• Bachillerato + EBAU → general access to every university and subject area, the same as the Abitur. This is the main road and the reason this guide exists.
• Técnico Superior FP (higher vocational training) → university access in the same branch only; not general access. There is a bridge year (Studienkolleg) to open the rest if you need it.
• No EBAU (or a foreign-school diploma) → access can still exist — but it is a case-by-case answer. The free first check is anabin's entry for your exact diploma, then a written reply from uni-assist.
• Already holding a Spanish degree → often a different and easier route (a master's programme, or direct doctorate paths); the diploma-recognition logic is separate from undergraduate admission.

Grades: the 1–10 scale the universities actually use

German grades run 1 (best) to 4 (pass) in tenths, and your Spanish average is converted to that scale with the modified Bavarian formula. Two things matter in practice: first, the conversion is computed officially — by uni-assist or the university — so do not convert your own grade and expect the same number on the letter; second, the number they convert is your 1–10 average. The famous bonus from the specific phase is not what German admission uses, so a spectacular specific phase does not repair a modest general phase.

For open-admission subjects, the converted grade is a formality. For numerus clausus subjects — psychology, business, biology, everything health-related — it is the whole game: places go by converted grade, and the effective cut-offs float year to year with each cohort. The honest advice is the unglamorous one: apply wide, and treat the NC like what it is — a queue you cannot argue with.

Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary: Hochschulstart

These four go through Hochschulstart, the central admissions service in Dortmund. As an EU citizen you compete in the same pool as German applicants — equal treatment is the rule, and quotas do not exclude you. Grades at the top of these fields are steep at every university, so plan a realistic list and a fallback subject area; the application itself is one central procedure, not twenty separate ones.

The application chain, in order

1. 01

   1. Check your exact diploma — anabin

   Look up your Bachillerato cell in the Standing Conference's anabin database: it tells you what your diploma evaluates to, and it is free. If something does not match (a foreign-school diploma, an unusual path), write to uni-assist for a written answer before building a plan on it.

2. 02

   2. Choose programmes in the DAAD database

   DAAD runs the complete and free programme database — filter by subject, city, language of instruction and admission type. For English-taught bachelor's programmes, count on fewer options and an earlier deadline; for German-taught, plan the language proof (see step 5).

3. 03

   3. Prepare the documents

   The core set: the Bachillerato diploma, the EBAU record, translations where required, identification, CV for some programmes. Each university adds its own requirements on top — read its page, not a blog's, and start six months before the deadline.

4. 04

   4. Apply — uni-assist or directly

   Most universities route foreign applications through uni-assist (a fee per application, one document check serving several universities); some accept direct applications, especially from EU citizens for certain programmes. Check each university's own rule — it is written plainly on its admission page.

5. 05

   5. Deadlines and the language proof

   The standard doors: 15 July for the winter semester, 15 January for the summer semester — and earlier for many international and English-taught programmes. The language proof must exist by the deadline with it: DSH-2 or TestDaF 4 for German-taught degrees; DSH is taken at the university, TestDaF at licensed centres in Spain (see the exams guide).

Money — and the EU corrections

Tuition is €0 in all sixteen Länder for you, including Baden-Württemberg — its €1,500 non-EU fee does not touch EU citizens. What remains is the Semesterbeitrag (€150–350: transport pass, student services, sometimes a bicycle scheme) and living costs, which rent decides: plan roughly €950–1,200 a month depending on the city, Berlin and Munich at the top. And one correction worth its own line: as an EU student you have full access to the labour market — the famous 120-full-days limit is a rule for non-EU students and does not apply to your Spanish passport. A student job is available if you need it, and BAföG exists but comes with extra conditions for EU citizens; ask the Studierendenwerk about your case before counting on it.

Part of the five-guide Spanish track: the front door, the exams guide, Ausbildung from Spain and citizenship for Spaniards — all collected in the Spain hub. If you want the German side planned before you book anything, the 77-day study plan is free.