Sample roadmap Spain
Sample study roadmap: a master's in AI or data science in Spain
This is what a finished roadmap looks like. The student is made up. Every figure is real and was checked against the official source on 12 November 2026.
Sample only. Prices, dates and rules change. This page shows the format and depth of a roadmap; it is not advice for your own application.
The student
- DegreeBachelor's in Computer Science, GPA 3.1 out of 4
- EnglishIELTS 6.5
- CitizenshipFrom outside the EU
- WantsA master's taught in English in AI or data science
- StartSeptember or October 2027
- BudgetUS$15,000 a year for tuition and living costs, which is EUR 13,481 at the European Central Bank rate of 11 November 202614
The short answer
- Three courses fit your budget: Zaragoza, Tarragona and A Coruña. A year costs about EUR 8,200 to EUR 13,200 in total.
- Three Barcelona courses do not fit unless you add at least EUR 3,600 a year from work or funding. Barcelona's living costs are the reason, not the tuition.
- Your English should be enough. IELTS 6.5 is B2 on the official Catalan table, and B2 is the most any of the six courses asks for.7
- Your grade matters most in Barcelona. At UPC the transcript is 50 to 60% of the selection score. None of the six courses publishes a minimum grade.
- Start the paperwork in December. One university's only round for degrees from outside Europe closed on 30 April last year.
Your shortlist
Six master's degrees at public universities, all taught in English. Tuition is the 2026-27 price for a student from outside the EU who does not live in Spain. All six charge such students more than EU students.
| Course | Length | Tuition | Places | How you fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universidad de Zaragoza Master in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Engineering, Zaragoza1 | 1 year, 60 credits | EUR 60.80 a credit: EUR 3,6482 | Not published | Good. It asks for 18 credits of maths, physics and statistics and 6 of programming, which a Computer Science degree covers. English B2. |
| Universitat Rovira i Virgili Computer Security Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, Tarragona3 | 1 year, 60 credits | EUR 2,913, plus EUR 218.15 once for a degree from outside the EU | 20 in person | Good. Your degree field matches. Choose the in-person mode: a study visa needs on-site or hybrid study. English B2. |
| Universidade da Coruña with Santiago and Vigo Master's Degree in Artificial Intelligence, A Coruña4 | 1.5 years, 90 credits | EUR 17.41 a credit: EUR 1,566.90 for the whole degree5 | 20 at A Coruña | Good on requirements (English B1, B2 recommended). The risk is timing: a degree from outside Europe can only apply in the early round, and at most half the places go in it. |
| UPC Master's degree in Data Science, Barcelona6 | 2 years, 120 credits | EUR 45 a credit: EUR 5,400, or EUR 2,700 a year | 40 | Possible. Your transcript is 60% of the score, so a 3.1 is the weak point. Over budget because of Barcelona's living costs. English B2. |
| UPC with UB and URV Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, Barcelona, with some teaching in Tarragona8 | 1.5 years, 90 credits | EUR 45 a credit on UPC's fees page. The course page shows a lower total, so confirm with the school. | 50 | Possible. Grades and university ranking are 50% of the score. Over budget. English B2. |
| Universitat de Barcelona Master in Fundamental Principles of Data Science, Barcelona9 | 1 year, 60 credits | EUR 82 a credit: EUR 4,920. UB gives this "as an indication". | 30 | Your field and English fit. The highest tuition here, and over budget. |
A Coruña charges the Spanish price to nationals of countries on its published list, which includes India, Bangladesh and Kenya.5
What a year costs
First-year tuition plus twelve months of living costs, against your EUR 13,481. Living costs use each university's own guide for incoming students, and never less than the EUR 7,200 a year the visa requires you to show.10
| Course | Tuition, year one | Living, 12 months | Year-one total | Inside your budget? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaragoza | EUR 3,648 | EUR 7,200 to 9,600 | EUR 10,848 to 13,248 | Yes |
| Tarragona | EUR 3,131 | EUR 7,200 | About EUR 10,330 | Yes |
| A Coruña | EUR 1,045 | EUR 7,200 (the visa minimum; the university publishes no figure) | About EUR 8,245 | Yes |
| UPC Data Science | EUR 2,700 | EUR 14,400 to 18,000 | EUR 17,100 to 20,700 | No, short by EUR 3,600 or more |
| UPC, UB and URV Artificial Intelligence | EUR 2,700 | EUR 14,400 to 18,000 | EUR 17,100 to 20,700 | No, short by EUR 3,600 or more |
| UB Data Science | EUR 4,920 | EUR 14,400 to 18,000 | EUR 19,320 to 22,920 | No, short by EUR 5,800 or more |
Not included: flights, the visa fee, health insurance, apostilles and translations, and the housing deposit.
Getting your degree accepted
- You do not need your degree officially recognised in Spain. For a master's, the university itself checks that your degree is at the right level and gives access to postgraduate study in your own country.11
- Get your degree certificate and transcript legalised with an apostille or through diplomatic channels, in the country that issued them.
- Check each university's translation rule. Zaragoza accepts documents in English or French without translation. A Coruña asks for certified translations into Galician or Spanish.
- Convert your grade. Spain's Ministry of Universities has a free online declaration that converts your average to the Spanish scale. UPC asks for it.
- Budget for the university's own check. Zaragoza charges EUR 150 and can take three months, so its request has to go in before 1 March for the first round. Tarragona's is the EUR 218.15 already in the table.
Your visa
- Funds to show: EUR 600 a month, EUR 7,200 a year in 2026. Money set aside for tuition does not count towards it.10
- Health insurance: from an insurer authorised in Spain, covering your whole stay. The London consulate also requires no co-payments and does not accept travel insurance.12
- When to apply: at least two months before your course starts.
- How long it takes: the legal limit is one month from your application, longer if the consulate asks for an interview or more documents.
- The fee depends on the consulate and your nationality. In New York in 2026 it is US$106 for most nationalities.
- Also needed for a stay over six months: a passport valid for at least a year, a criminal record certificate covering the last five years, and a medical certificate.
Rules differ slightly between consulates. Check the one for the country you live in.
Work during and after your degree
- While you study: up to 30 hours a week, with no separate permit. The work has to be in the region where your permit was granted.10
- After you graduate: you may stay up to 24 months to look for work or start a business. That period cannot be extended.13
- Or switch straight to a residence and work permit once you have the degree, without leaving Spain. That first permit lasts one year.10
- Family: a spouse or partner and children may join you, with extra funds, but they are not allowed to work.10
- Towards long-term residence: time spent on a study permit counts at half.10
Scholarships
Very few are open to you, and none you can count on.
- Zaragoza can waive the extra charge for students from outside the EU, saving EUR 1,824. It has an income test.
- Tarragona gives one grant of EUR 6,000 for this master's. You need an average of 7 out of 10 on the Spanish scale to be considered, so treat it as unlikely until your grade is converted.
- Erasmus Mundus funds a different degree, a two-year master's across several countries with one term in Barcelona. A full scholarship pays EUR 1,400 a month. The deadline for the 2027 intake is 11 January 2027.
Your timeline
Most universities have not published 2027 dates yet. Dates marked "last year" are the 2026 dates, used as a guide.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 2026 | Order your certificate and transcript. Start the apostille. Generate the grade declaration. |
| January 2027 | 11 January: Erasmus Mundus scholarship deadline, if you apply. |
| February | A Coruña's early round opened 5 February last year. Send Zaragoza's degree-check request before 1 March. |
| March | Tarragona opens applications at the start of March 2027. Zaragoza's first round ran 2 to 23 March last year. |
| April | A Coruña's early round closed 30 April last year. |
| May | Tarragona's main round closed 14 May last year, with results by the end of May. |
| June | Confirm your place and pay the reservation. Gather the visa file: funds, insurance, certificates. |
| July | Apply for the visa, at least two months before the course starts. |
| August | Visa decision, within one month by law. |
| September 2027 | Travel and start. Apply for your residence card within a month of arriving. |
What we could not confirm
A roadmap says what is not known, so you do not plan around a guess.
- 2027 application dates for UPC, UB, A Coruña and Zaragoza are not published yet.
- The total fee for the three-university AI master's: UPC's two pages disagree.
- Living costs in A Coruña: the university publishes no figure.
- Whether Zaragoza and A Coruña list IELTS 6.5 as B2 in their own tables. The Catalan universities do.
- How a 3.1 out of 4 converts to the Spanish scale. That decides whether you can be considered for Tarragona's grant.
- Whether a consulate accepts a place-reservation payment as proof that your fees are paid.
Sources
All opened on 12 November 2026.
- Universidad de Zaragoza, course page: estudios.unizar.es
- Universidad de Zaragoza, master's prices 2026-27: academico.unizar.es
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, course page: urv.cat
- Universidade da Coruña, course and admission pages: estudos.udc.es
- Universidade da Coruña, rector's resolution of 2 July 2026 on prices: sede.udc.gal
- UPC, Master's degree in Data Science and fees: upc.edu, fees, admission
- Catalan Interuniversity Council, table of language certificates (Resolution REU/2197/2024): upc.edu
- UPC, Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence: upc.edu
- Universitat de Barcelona, course site: datascience.ub.edu
- Royal Decree 1155/2024 (articles 35, 36, 52 to 57, 176 and 190) and the 2026 IPREM figure: boe.es, sepe.es. Living costs: UPC, URV, Zaragoza
- Royal Decree 822/2021, article 18.2: boe.es
- Consulate General of Spain in London, study visa: exteriores.gob.es
- Law 14/2013, additional provision 17: boe.es
- European Central Bank, euro reference rates: ecb.europa.eu
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