FAQs - International Students

If your education system does not appear in the list of agreements above, you will be able to access any of the university degrees offered by ESIC, through the qualification recognition route. 

This access is for those students from foreign education systems with studies recognised by the Spanish baccalaureate, but that do NOT enter the Spanish university system either through the UNED Credential or PAU, through the UNED (RD 412/2014, 6th June). (UNED: Spanish university of remote learning).

The MECD (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport) is responsible for recognising official foreign qualifications. This involves the recognition, in Spain, of their official validity for academic and professional purposes. For more information, click here. 

If you do not wish to process your application through this public body, ESIC has the collaboration of legal agencies that process academic documents for entry to the Spanish university system. Ask us for information.

We understand a Bachelor’s Degree to be an official university degree that is equivalent to a Spanish licenciatura. However, the Degree in Marketing and Sales Management is a private, in-house degree, that is to say, it is not recognised by the Ministry of Education. However, its prestige in the business world for the past 50 years has been and continues to be very recognised in company recruitment circles.

Our Bachelor’s Degrees are official because we are a private centre attached to different public universities, depending on the campus where you want to study, therefore the regulations related to access, enrolment and recognition are the same as for public universities. There is no possibility of recognising official subjects with subjects from your degree of origin, termed partial recognition of foreign studies, since we do not have the authorisation to undertake this specific procedure. You must go directly to the university attached to the ESIC campus if you would like to apply for this recognition.

Example: If you want to study at ESIC Madrid, you should contact the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos for this recognition, although these processes can take up to three years, which could slow down your access to ESIC.

If you want to study at ESIC, you will have to start your studies from the first year without the possibility of recognition of previous studies. You must have the corresponding accreditation for access to the Spanish university system: the Spanish University Entrance Exam (PAU), UNED CREDENTIAL or have your International Baccalaureate made equivalent to the Spanish qualification. (Spanish: HOMOLOGACIÓN DEL TITULO BACHILLETO INTERNACIONAL).

In Spain, and generally in the rest of Europe, the academic year starts in September and ends in May. In June, ESIC students will have to take the corresponding exams.

Due to the type of methodology and academic rigour of ESIC, it is not possible to do an Online University Degree.

ADE (Business Administration and Management) is focussed on a general knowledge of all the functional areas (finance, human resources, accounting, legality, among others) that a company requires and needs for its proper functioning. Marketing is a functional area of specialisation and the course is based on learning tools and techniques that help and support the marketing of a product or service. Finally, Advertising and Public Relations is a specialisation within another specialisation (Marketing), based on tools that assist and facilitate the communication of a product or service.

A business-focussed degree such as ADE (Business Administration and Management), helps students to acquire general business skills by knowing how the different functional areas of a company work. However, when it comes to Digital Business, students develop business skills applied to technological and digital environments.

Some of the highlights of the BACHELOR’S DEGREE in Digital Business:

• Application of business concepts to the digital world.
• The class-time burden of numerical subjects is reduced to give more impetus to subjects oriented towards business digitisation.
• Bilingual Degree (Spanish/English).

The number of students per class is usually between 35 and 40, enabling the teacher to build a rapport with the student and make the learning process easier.

DEGREES:

• Degree in Global Marketing. This degree is taught in English on the Barcelona and Valencia campuses under the name of Global Marketing Management.
• The Degree in Digital Business is taught in bilingual mode in Seville, Malaga and Granada.

BACHELOR’S DEGREES:

• The Bachelor’s Degree in ADE (Business Administration and Management) can be studied 100% in English in Madrid and Valencia.
• The Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing can be studied 100% in English in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza.
• The Bachelor’s Degree in International Business can be studied bilingually in Valencia.

Note: In the bilingual modality, the first two academic years are taught in Spanish and the last two (or three in the case of the double degree) are taught in English.

All degree courses taught in Spanish at ESIC include the subject of Business English from the first year of the degree course. It is also the subject with most credits. In the fifth year, in the case of the Double Degree, the student also has the option of doing the course in English.

Internships can start in the 3rd year, and in the 4th year of the degree they are curricular internships, which means that they are compulsory internships on the course. ESIC encourages its students to do as many internships as possible during their academic year.

Internships are managed by the internship department, which is in charge of advising students. Every year, the team processes more than 2,000 internship offers, so no student is left without an internship. In addition, internships are always related to the degree course that the student is studying.

You can not only take on jobs like someone who studies the normal ADE course, but you can also take on specific functions in jobs related to the digital field, such as: Web Analyst, Web Positioning Specialist, Head of e-Commerce, Head of Digital Content, Digital Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, Digital Communication Expert and Community Manager, Digital Market Research, among others.

From the 3rd year onwards, students can do an academic exchange year at any of the more than 90 universities or business schools that ESIC has an agreement with, in addition to being able to choose a different destination each term from each of the international courses.

Yes, we have our own grants for international students, financial aid and agreements with several banks that offer different financing plans. Each grant has different requirements and specifications. Therefore, we recommend that you check the grants section of the ESIC website: "University Degrees" and "Admissions and Financial aid".

Admission tests can be taken even if you have not finished the last year of Bachillerato, International Baccalaureate (IB), A Levels, Baccalaureate or equivalent education system. This way you will be able to reserve your place without any problem and secure your entry to ESIC. Remember that in order to be able to enrol on a Bachelor’s Degree course you must have the Spanish university entry document Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad Española (PAU) or Credencial UNED. However, if your intention is to take the course for the Degree in Marketing and Sales Management, you will only need to have your baccalaureate qualification made equivalent.

The place reservation will be made once the candidate has been admitted. If you do not pass one of these university entrance exams, baccalaureate or if the visa has not been granted by the consulate, the amount of the place reservation will be refunded. The tests are free of charge.

The admission process is carried out individually from Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 12:30 and from 15:00 to 18:00 Spanish time.

This can be done either in person at any of the ESIC campuses in Spain, or online for those interested who live or reside outside one of the autonomous communities/provinces where ESIC has a campus, or if the interested party lives or resides outside of Spain.

It will be necessary to make an appointment for a test by calling 0034914524167 / 47 / 97 or, if you wish to contact us by email, you will need to send us the full name and surname of the candidate, a date and time (within the timetable mentioned), the degree course you wish to study on and your phone number. You can also request a test through the online form in the "Admissions and Grants" section of the ESIC website.

Once an appointment has been requested, a confirmation email will be sent with the necessary documentation for the tests and the steps to follow.

The admission tests consist of a personal interview, a business case and an oral-written test in English (not exclusive). No previous preparation is required. The business case will not assess the candidate's knowledge of the subject, but rather how he/she writes, reasons and expresses him/herself. In the personal interview, the profile of the student will be evaluated in line with the chosen course and the amount of motivation the student has to study at ESIC.

The decision over the admission tests will be communicated within two working days or 48 hours after the tests have been taken. The decision will be communicated by different means: email, post and telephone.

If the student has been admitted, he/she must reserve a place by paying the amount indicated in the notifications and within the period specified. If the reservation is made outside this period, the student's place will not be guaranteed.

If the student has not been admitted, he/she will be able to sit the exams again after the end of the academic year.