Where to study physical therapy in Spain? 10 criteria to make your choice

This is the basic criterion.

• An institution of higher learning that is not accredited cannot issue a Spanish state diploma that is required to practice the regulated profession of physical therapist.
• There are schools in Spain that are not accredited as there are in France. Be adamant on this point if you do not want to experience great difficulties.
• Also beware of misleading speeches, if in doubt, do not hesitate to ask the school for the publication in the Spanish official gazette of its authorization to legally deliver lessons specifying that they can officially deliver lessons on Spanish territory.

It is not enough to have found an officially licensed institution of higher learning.

• Secondly, you must make sure that the physiotherapy studies are indeed sanctioned by the delivery of the official diploma.
• A school may be authorized for certain studies but not issue an official degree for some of them. In this case they issue a "titulo propio".
• You must study physical therapy in Spain to obtain a "grado oficial", the only one that can be recognized to practice in France.

You can't be competent in physical therapy by taking online courses.

• This job is much too "manual" to be transmitted by slides or videos.
• It is your future quality as a professional that is at stake, do not take this risk.

Each of the 2 has advantages and disadvantages.

• The advantage of the public system is its price, since the studies are financed by the Spanish taxpayers.
• The main disadvantages of the public system are that you are not "always" welcome and that the average required to enter is difficult to achieve for a student who did not attend high school in Spain.
• The advantage of the private system is that it is more accessible for those with a good level of Spanish.
• The main disadvantage is the price which can be high or very high.
• Beware of fake public universities: making you believe that you are a public institution because you are attached to a public university (all private universities depend administratively on a public university in Spain) should make you doubt the reliability of the institution and make you question these schools on the reasons they have for using such false arguments.

It may be a good idea to choose a public university when you don't have the budget to pay for 4 years of study in a private university to study physiotherapy in Spain.

• Check the "nota de corte" (10-point score) that allowed you to enter the previous year at the university you are applying to.
• If your 20-point average divided by 2 to find your 10-point average is lower than this, you will likely not be admitted.
• If your score is more or less the same as the "nota de corte" of previous years, have a plan B because you won't know until July if you are among the lucky ones to be admitted.

It can make a big difference whether you choose a Catholic university or a secular university for health studies in Spain.

• Not all Catholic universities are proselytizing.
• Some Catholic universities are very proselytizing and this can change some of the teachings.
• Some Catholic universities do not have the same courses that you can take in France during your studies in the health field.
• By carefully reviewing the syllabus, you can ensure that the courses taught do not conflict with your own values.

There are major differences in tuition fees.

• Also look at the additional fees (file opening fees, compulsory reception fees for foreign students, seat reservation fees, etc.).
• Between one private university and another, prices can vary from one to three.
• Multiply these differences in annual fees by 4 (the length of the physiotherapy studies in Spain) and you will see that your total budget will not be the same at all.

The choice of the region where the university is located is also important because it can condition your travels, the number of languages to master, your monthly budget...

• Take a good look at what may seem like a detail at first: for example, the region in which you are going to study may require you to learn another language that is co-official in Spain, such as Catalan, in order to be able to access internships (a lot of energy to devote to this additional learning that you won't be able to put into the other skills you need to learn for your physiotherapy studies)
• The cost of living is not the same everywhere in Spain where decentralization is very important with salaries, rents, etc. very different from one region to another.

The first of these is the level required in Spanish:

• If you do not have the language level required by a university to enter physiotherapy, either give up applying or prepare yourself to reach that level.
• There is no point in applying, you will just waste your time and energy.
• Instead, devote the latter to improving your Spanish and obtaining a certification.

• If the city scares you, avoid downtown campuses,
• If the countryside scares you, don't study on an isolated campus in the middle of the countryside.
• Choosing a lifestyle that suits you can affect your quality of life and sometimes even your academic success.