All about the admission process in private universities
Do you plan to study at a private university? You can improve your chances of being admitted if you understand the differences in the admissions process compared to public universities. If the public ones decide mathematically based on your entrance mark, the private ones tend to take more things into account. Each private college /university has its own process for applying for admission or reserving a place.
Like the public ones, they require you to comply with the current regulations for access to the University, that is, pass the Selectivity if you access directly from high school. But, in addition, the private ones usually do other types of tests before granting a place to the candidates.
The most common tests are a personal interview, a knowledge or psycho technical test and an English level test. Both the knowledge test and the English test are the ones that provoke the most fear in students, but as Mercedes Pérez Castells, Director of the CEU San Pablo University Admissions Service, says, “the knowledge tests are about Bachillerato subjects, for what the preparation is already doing by the student”.
The knowledge tests usually vary depending on the degree to which you want to access. However, there are also universities that carry out a general culture test, common for access to any of the careers they offer.
Although it is normal to have to pass the admission process that each university establishes, there are also private universities such as UNIR, the distance university of La Rioja, where they do not take any special entrance exam.
The Goal of the process
For Miguel Costa, Head of Admissions at IE University, “the admissions process tries to identify those qualities necessary to make the most of all the resources that the University makes available to our students. For this reason, our admission process takes into account multiple aspects, including: the candidate's academic career, the results of the admission tests, command of different languages, extracurricular activities carried out, stays abroad, etc.
All these aspects are evaluated together with the result of the admission interview before making the final decision”.
Therefore, although the result of the tests is important, so is the trajectory of the student. José Antonio Rufo, director of the Comillas Pontifical University's Information and Reception Office, tells us that in order to access any of the degrees they offer, they not only value admission tests and/or a personal interview.
“In all cases, the previous academic record of the student requesting access is always considered. Usually the courses of 3rd and 4th of ESO and 1st of Baccalaureate are valued”.
When to Apply
The deadlines vary depending on the degree and the university, but they usually open very soon. Many start in February and some do not close until the end of October, even with the course already started. But do not trust yourself, in the degrees and universities most requested by students, the admission deadline closes much earlier, May and even April.
Therefore, if you are thinking of studying in a private school, do not wait to see what marks you get in Selectividad. Now is a good time. Go to the website of the universities you are considering to find out about the deadlines and the type of tests.
Where to Apply
Applications for admission or to reserve a place are presented at each of the private universities that interest you. You just have to ask each of the universities for the form, which in most cases can be downloaded and sent online.
Difficulty of the Tests
From what the students with whom we have spoken have told us, in general terms the tests are not too complicated to pass, except for some careers and universities, where the high demand requires a more exhaustive selection of interested students.
As the tests measure high school knowledge and general culture, it is not necessary to expressly prepare to take the tests, says Isabel Zárate, head of the Information and Admissions Service for New Students at the International University of Catalonia. "What they should do is keep their studies up to date and be curious and restless people," she recommends.
The Prices of the tests
Although there are private universities where taking the tests is free of charge, in general they usually have a price that ranges from €30 to €125, depending on the degree and university.
How to Prepare
For Poveda Fernández Martín, Director of the Admissions Department at the Camilo José Cela University, "the student, in a very high percentage, has just passed the entrance exams to the University, the only thing that is required, therefore, is serenity" .
Facing the tests calmly is also the suggestion of Sonia Brox, Admissions Manager at Nebrija University, where all entrance exams are level tests. "The preparation must be given by his journey in recent years." As for the personal interview, he recommends preparing it, asking for help from parents, teachers or the academic advisers of the universities where you want to get a place.
“Nobody approaches a personal interview improvising and most of the candidates do it. It is one of the most important parts of the process,” she notes.
An opportunity to get to know you better
The personal interview also tries to "get to know the candidate better and be able to guide him, among other things, on whether his profile is suitable for the chosen career", explains Eva Pérez Álvarez, head of University Information for Degrees at the San Jorge University of Zaragoza. . Therefore, “you have to be honest”.
Get Place
Due to the large university offer, obtaining a university place, in general, is not complicated, except for highly demanded careers such as Medicine, where the process is usually very selective.
Scholarships
The scholarships for university studies that the Ministry of Education announces every year are the first reference that all students should value. Many students believe that these scholarships can only be applied for to study at public universities when this is not the case.
They can be requested by all students who are going to take an official degree, although it is true that one of the criteria for granting the scholarship is that a certain income level is not exceeded.
In addition, autonomous communities, banking entities, and countless organizations and institutions of all kinds make numerous aids available to students. In all cases, good records are rewarded.
Also, the same private universities offer aid to students who, for example, belong to a large family, are high-level athletes, or have a brother enrolled in the center...
If you are thinking of studying at a private university, the sooner you inform yourself in more detail, the easier it will be for you to have all the information you need to plan the admission and financing process, as well as find the university that best suits your objectives and interests.
Comparison of the admission process between public and private universities
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