UOC scholarships for refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons

The individual amount of the scholarship is equivalent to one hundred per cent [100%]  of the cost of enrolling for the expert diploma, language course, open course and professional course that the beneficiary wishes to study during the first semester of the academic year 2026-2027.

This scholarship will not cover the amount payable in the event of second or subsequent enrolments for the same credit, nor can it be accumulated with other discounts that the UOC has agreed to apply to certain population groups. This scholarship can only be used for the academic semester to which these rules refer and, therefore, may not be postponed, deferred or split for subsequent semesters.

 

Applicants who wish to obtain one of the enrolment scholarships offered in the rules must:

Fill in the UOC's scholarship application form.

 The form includes instructions on the required documentation (call available on the e-Noticeboard)

a. Obligatory documentation common to all courses: 

i. ID document on the date of submitting the application (one of the indicated documents must be provided): 

•  A receipt confirming submission of the application for international protection (white paper or white card). 

• Document certifying status as applicant for international protection 

(red card). 

• Document legally acknowledging the applicant's refugee, international protection, subsidiary protection, temporary protection or stateless person status. 

• National identity document. 

ii. Sworn statement certifying a situation of financial hardship that renders the applicant unable to pay the course's enrolment fees. See Appendix 2 for a sample text of the sworn statement for this call. 

iii. Letter of motivation of at least 350 words with information on the matters specified in Appendix 3 of this call for scholarships. 

 

iv. For applicants wishing to take any course offered (with the exception of language courses): 

● Applicants from a country or geographical area where Spanish is the official language or who have a Spanish level equivalent to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) do not need to prove their proficiency level in that language. All they need to do is attach the documents specified above to the relevant form. 

● If they do not come from countries or geographical areas where Spanish is the official language or they do not have a level of Spanish equivalent to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), they must prove their level by taking the Spanish level test: https://www.cervantes.to/es/test_inicial.html. 

They must then attach a screenshot of the test result to the relevant form. 

v. Information for applicants wishing to take course offered (with the exception of language courses): 

● Applicants from a country or geographical area where English is the official language or who have an English level equivalent to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) do not need to prove their proficiency level in that language. All they need to do is attach the documents specified above to the relevant form. 

● If they do not come from countries or geographical areas where English is the official language or they do not have a level of English equivalent to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), they must prove their level by taking the English level test: https://cv.uoc.edu/app/placementTest2/index.php?lang=es. 

They must then attach a screenshot of the test result to the relevant form.

b. Obligatory documentation specific to the course to be taken: 

In addition to the documentation common to all courses, applicants must submit the following documents according to the specific programme they are applying for: 

i. Expert diplomas: 

● Applicants may be admitted to an expert diploma course if they meet any of the following admission requirements: 

○ Hold an official Spanish university qualification or a qualification issued by a higher education institution in an EHEA member state that makes its holder eligible to enrol on official master’s degree courses. 

■ Hold an official Spanish university qualification (of which they must submit a certified or notarized photocopy). Instead of this document, they may also submit a record of the Ministry's register of university qualifications, a notarized or certified copy thereof, or the document as an electronic file with current digital validation issued by a competent body. The provisional certificate or the European Diploma Supplement will also be valid. 

■ If the qualification was issued by a higher education institution in an EHEA member state, the student must submit a certified or notarized photocopy of the Diploma Supplement or of the degree certificate, together with a certificate issued by the university proving that the student's qualification makes its holder eligible to study a master's degree in the country of issue of the degree. Instead of certified or notarized copies, they may also submit the document as an electronic file with current digital validation issued by a competent body. 

○ Hold a qualification issued by a non-EHEA higher education institution that has been officially recognized as equivalent to the corresponding official Spanish university degree. 

■ In such cases, the student must submit a certified or notarized photocopy of the credential showing that it has been officially recognized as equivalent, issued by the ministry with competence in matters of education, or the document as an electronic file with current digital validation issued by a competent body. 

○ Hold a qualification issued by a non-EHEA higher education institution and be able to prove to the UOC a level of education equivalent to the corresponding Spanish official qualifications, making the holder eligible for admission to postgraduate courses in the country of issue of the qualification. In such cases, official recognition of the original qualification is not required. 

■ In such cases, the student must submit a certified or notarized photocopy of the higher education qualification and the academic certificate or official document proving that the higher education qualification makes its holder eligible for a postgraduate course in the country of issue of the degree. 

■ If the documentation was issued by a non-EU country, it must be properly legalized through diplomatic channels or bear the apostille of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 if applicable. 

■ If the original documentation is not in Catalan, Spanish or English, the applicant must submit an official translation produced by a sworn translator, a Spanish diplomatic or consular representation abroad or the diplomatic or consular representation in Spain of the document's or the student's country of origin. 

 

Students who do not have an official university qualification can still take the course if they can prove that they have work or professional experience with a competency level equivalent to the academic training provided by a bachelor's degree. This must be proven by means of the self-report document set out in Appendix 4 and any other document that may supplement it, such as the student's employment history, their CV or letters of reference. 

ii. Language courses: 

• If the applicant selects initial levels A1 or A1.1, it will not be necessary to provide documentation certifying their level of knowledge of the language

• If the applicant selects a level above A1 or A1.1, they must send a screenshot of the level test in the chosen language to identify at which level they will be enrolled if they are granted a scholarship: 

○ Catalan level test: https://cv.uoc.edu/app/placementTest_ca/index.php 

○ English level test: https://cv.uoc.edu/app/placementTest2/index.php?lang=es 

○ French level test: http://materials.cv.uoc.edu/continguts/testNiveau_es/index.html 

○ German level test: http://materials.cv.uoc.edu/continguts/testNivelAleman_es/index.htm l 

The above documents must be attached to the relevant form. 

iii. Profession-focused courses: no specific documentation is required. 

iv. Open courses: no specific documentation is required. 

v. Coding courses: no specific documentation is required. 

c. Additional non-mandatory (optional) documentation: 

In addition (and optionally), if an applicant believes that they can provide additional documentation that may be useful in connection with their application (unrelated documents will not be accepted), they may attach it to the required documentation. 

If the applicant supplies additional non-compulsory documentation, they must explain in the letter of motivation why this is relevant to their application. Unjustified documents will not be accepted. In addition, this documentation must be submitted together with the documents mentioned above. 

Examples of additional documentation include, among others: 

● Course certificates or diplomas. 

● Volunteering certificates. 

● Letter of recommendation from an NGO that supports refugees (dated after the date of publication of this call. A suggested template can be found in Appendix 5). 

● Curriculum Vitae (CV). 

3. Applicants for these scholarships who fail to correct errors in their application will be rejected. 

4. Applicants who have submitted letters of motivation plagiarized from other applicants will be excluded from these and future scholarships. 

5. Applications must be submitted by 17 May 2026. 

6. Applicants will have to attend mandatory interviews, which will be held by video call or telephone, at their choice. Interviews will only be held with pre-selected applicants, to ensure that they meet the requirements. If any inconsistencies are detected, a maximum of four [4] points will be subtracted from the covering letter. If the pre-selected person is not located after three [3] attempts, their application will be dismissed. Interviews will be held from 25 May to 12 June 2026. 

7. The competent body at the UOC will contact applicants to ask them to correct any errors or attach the required documents within the time allocated for that purpose. If they fail to comply, they will be deemed to have withdrawn their scholarship application. 

 

• 17 May 2026: deadline for submitting applications.
• From 25 May to 12 June 2026: Telephone interviews to pre-selected persons.
• 19 June 2026: publication of the provisional list of selected candidates on the e-Noticeboard. 
• From 20 to 23 June 2026: period for appeals. 
• 01 July 2026: publication of the definitive list of selected candidates on the e-Noticeboard. 
• From 02 July to 12 July 2026: enrolment period.

 

• You can consult the legal conditions of the call for applications on the UOC's e-Noticeboard on the UOC's website, in the section Grants, financial aid and prizes.
• In the event of any discrepancy, the valid information will be that contained in the terms and conditions of the call published on the UOC's e-Noticeboard.