National University of Distance Education - Social Fund Grants

UNED Social Fund Grants

At the Spanish National Distance Learning University (UNED), your tuition fees will be waived in full or in part, so that you can continue your studies even if money is tight. Undergraduate students and those enrolled on the direct-entry programme for people aged over 25 can receive a reduction of up to 100% on their first-semester fees. Students on official vocational Master’s programmes receive a discount of up to 50% per credit. You can receive this support for a maximum of 3 academic years in total. This is UNED’s own safety net for students affected by a sudden crisis such as an accident, a serious illness or eviction. The exemption does not apply to administrative fees, student insurance, repeat modules or second degrees.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at UNED on a Bachelor’s degree programme (Grado), on an official Master’s degree programme leading to a regulated profession, or on the direct-entry programme for people aged over 25.
• Residence: You live in Spain and can prove this with a current certificate of residence (Padrón).
• State grant refused: You initially applied for a government grant (from the Ministry of Education, the Generalitat de Catalunya or the Basque Government) and were rejected; no appeal is currently pending.
• Field of study: Open to all disciplines.
• Financial need: You are in genuine financial difficulty and can provide evidence of this.
• No other funding: You will not receive any further scholarships or grants for higher education, regardless of the amount.
• Grades (from year two on bachelors): You must have earned at least 50% of your credit points in the last completed academic year, unless a verifiable sudden emergency prevented you from doing so.

How to apply

You must write a free-form, signed letter describing your financial and family circumstances, stating your name, your DNI/NIE number and your UNED email address. You must submit this, together with the relevant supporting documents, via the UNED online portal. If the authority’s letter of refusal is dated before 8 October 2026, you must submit your application between 8 October 2026 and 8 January 2027. If it is dated later than that, you have 3 months from the date of the rejection.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a limited fund which can only be used as a last resort. You are only eligible if your application for state funding has already been rejected and you can demonstrate that you are in genuine financial hardship; consequently, the number of eligible applicants is small. If you clearly meet these conditions and can provide strong evidence of your situation, your prospects are good. A committee assesses the merits of your application, rather than comparing you with a large number of other applicants. A rejection based solely on formal grounds or the income threshold is not sufficient to qualify for support; you should therefore clearly set out the specifics of your hardship.