Russia and Spain agreed on mutual diploma recognition

The Russian government has issued a decree on the planned signing of an agreement with the authorities of the Kingdom of Spain on the mutual recognition of education, qualifications and degrees.

This was reported to Izvestia News Agency by the Ministry of Education and Science of RF. The agreement regulates that secondary general education and higher education, confirmed by bachelor’s, specialist’s or master’s degrees, obtained in the Russian Federation, and education of corresponding levels, obtained in the Kingdom of Spain, are recognized as equal. In addition, the agreement equates the degree of Candidate of Sciences of the Russian Federation and the degree of Doctor (Titulo de Doctor) obtained in Spain.

The work on the draft agreement has been conducted for more than 15 years. The signing of the document will be an important step in the development of Russian-Spanish relations and will contribute to the development of academic mobility and attracting highly qualified personnel.

The Russian-Spanish agreement on the mutual recognition of education, qualifications and degrees is a timely step, and for Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) is a long-awaited step.

Dmitry G. Arseniev, vice-rector for international relations at Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) highlighted the importance recongition of diplomas with Spain and the university has been waiting for the signing of this agreement for a long time.

– The Russian-Spanish agreement on the mutual recognition of education, qualifications and degrees is a timely step, and for Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) is a long-awaited step. We were first ones in Russia to open an information center in Madrid, that bridged the Russian with the Ibero-America region, he said. Today we can offer international educational programs to foreign applicants, and we hope that more and more foreign students will choose Russian education due to the new Russian-Spanish initiative.

The importance of the mutual recognition of education was confirmed to Izvestia from the Spanish side too.

We are nicely surprised by the constant growth in the number of Russians who speak Spanish and their interest in the Spanish culture.

We are nicely surprised by the constant growth in the number of Russians who speak Spanish and their interest in the Spanish culture, said José Miguel Atienza Riera, Vice Rector for International Cooperation at Technical University Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM). We are also pleased that each year the number of Russian students who want to continue their education in the Spanish universities is growing. On the other hand, we would like to note the growing interest from our professors and students. UPM has a long tradition of cooperation with Russian technical universities, the highest technical level of which is known throughout the world. The best cooperation form is the development of our relations based on mutual trust, and this treaty has laid a good foundation for further development.

Over the past 10 years, the number of Spanish students in Russian universities has almost doubled: from 129 to 304 people. With nearly two-thirds of Spaniards study at their own expense. At the same time, state scholarships (quotas) are allocated to Spanish citizens, making it possible to get education in Russian universities at the expense of the federal budget. 

This academic year, 20 quotas have been allocated for the training of Spanish citizens in Russia. All 20 candidates are studing Practical Course of the Russian Language as a Foreign Language educational program at Pushkin State Russian Language Institute. 

The number of Russian citizens enrolled full-time at universities in Spain under tertiary education programs is 577. According to the latest population censuses, the Spanish language steadily takes fourth postition among Russians. At the same time, during the period of 2002 – 2010, the number of Spanish-speaking Russian citizens increased by more than 40%. An estimated number of undergraduate and graduate students in Russian higher educational institutions studying Spanish is about 10 thousand people, and it is gradually increasing. 

Within the framework of inter-university cooperation, joint Russian-Spanish research units and laboratories are being created. As for 2018, the estimated total number increased to 13.

With the expansion of bilateral cooperation, Spain and Russia are planning to hold a Cross Year of Education and Science with its opening scheduled for autumn 2019.