Studying Baccalaureate abroad is a unique experience that will undoubtedly help you differentiate yourself academically and professionally in the future. The safest and most comfortable way to manage an educational project of these characteristics is through a specialized and accredited agency to organize academic stays abroad, be it a full school year, a semester or an academic term.
There are many countries where you can study 1st and 2nd year of high school and later get the validation of these foreign studies upon return to Spain. The Ministry of Education contemplates the possibility of studying an academic year abroad and homologate said studies as if they had been completed within Spain. For this, a series of requirements must be followed depending on the destination in question.
The most popular countries are the English-speaking countries because of the possibility of combining academic experience with improving English. Specifically, the United States and Canada thanks to its innovative educational system and the United Kingdom and Ireland due to its proximity to Spain.
Equivalences of 1º and 2º of Baccalaureate other foreign educational systems
Available modalities to study Baccalaureate abroad
1. In public school
The most popular option is attending a public school for the 1st and 2nd Baccalaureate degrees in the United States, Canada, Ireland and England. Besides being a cheaper option than in a private school, there are public schools with an academic level and first class facilities especially in the US and Canada. In these cases, the accommodation of the student is always in a local host family.
2. In private school
Going through high school at a private institution will guarantee a highly individualized education thanks to the low teacher / student ratios. They are institutions totally focused on getting their students access to the university based on their concerns and academic qualities. Private schools also offer the possibility of residence accommodation as well as a host family.
International Baccalaureate vs Standard Baccalaureate
international Baccalaureate
Many schools abroad offer the possibility of studying the International Baccaulerate modality during the last two years of high school prior to university. It is a degree with enormous international prestige recognized by most universities as a plus in the academic curriculum of any student, so it is a very good starting point when applying for a place in a competitive institution.
This modality is designed, in fact, to be a specific training for future access to university Therefore, students with clearly university concerns have an excellent option in this form of high school for their subsequent university education.
Skills related mainly to the critical thinking, research techniques, scientific and creative writing, article citations, etc.
Through this modality, very varied and specific subjects are studied that it would be difficult to find in other schools that do not offer the possibility of an International Baccalaureate. For example, specific subjects of psychology, philosophy, performing arts, computer science, engineering, design, international politics, finance, business, etc.
As it is a qualification with a duration of 2 years (1st and 2nd of Baccalaureate) it is necessary to have specific skills and attitudes since students are examined at the end of 2nd year of high school on all the knowledge they have acquired during the previous two years
The most common option, however, is to take the standard courses in the destination country that are equivalent to the baccalaureate courses in Spain without the mention of International Baccalaureate. In this case, the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training will validate the studies completed abroad year by year, so it is not compulsory to take the two full 1st and 2nd year of high school but can take one of them and validate it upon return. to Spain.
A very common practice would be to take 1st Baccalaureate abroad, return to Spain, validate the course as if it had been taken in Spain, take 2nd Baccalaureate in Spain and sit the university entrance exam like the rest of their classmates .
The other variation would be to study 1st Baccalaureate in Spain, study 2nd Baccalaureate abroad and upon returning to Spain take the university entrance exam through the University of Distance Education (UNED) as they come from a foreign educational system . In these cases, the test may be more difficult given that the training that the student receives during her 2nd year of Baccalaureate abroad is very likely not to correspond to the content that she will have to develop in the entrance exam.
Even so, the percentage of approved through this modality is also very high.
Requirements for the validation of the baccalaureate course taken abroad
The requirements to be able to validate a school year studied abroad vary depending on two cases:
- Country where the school year was studied
- Course to be validated (1st or 2nd of Baccalaureate)
Agencies such as CLS are in charge of advising on the choice of subjects and managing the validation process once the student has completed their studies.
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