Becas por matricula de honor / CEU Merit Program

What you get

The CEU Merit Program cuts your yearly tuition fees at the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (UCH) by 75% or 100%. With the 75% award you pay a quarter of the fees. With the 100% award your tuition is fully free. Only a one-off file-opening fee stays payable. The discount runs for your whole bachelor's degree and renews automatically each year while you keep your grades up, so you never re-apply. Up to 100 awards go out per intake. The Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU, which runs the university, provides them.

You can also get a separate automatic bonus, the Becas por matrícula de honor. If you finish the Spanish Bachillerato with the top grade "Matrícula de Honor", your first university year is tuition-free. During your degree, each subject you pass with a "Matrícula de Honor" earns you a fee discount the next year equal to the cost of those credits. This bonus needs no application and combines with the Merit Program.

Who can apply

• Level: You are starting your first year of a bachelor's degree at UCH.
• Field of study: Any bachelor's subject at the university counts.
• Prior schooling: You come from the Spanish Bachillerato (upper secondary) or a Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior (higher vocational training).
• Grades: You have an average of at least 7.0 in your preparatory year. The committee ranks applicants by grades, so higher marks help.
• Nationality: You can apply whether you were schooled in Spain, in the Spanish system abroad, or outside Spain. If you studied outside Spain, the 7.0 rule applies to your final or second-to-last preparatory year.
• Extra points: The committee also weighs language certificates, social and extracurricular activities, a recognised disability of 33% or more, and family income.
• Matrícula de Honor bonus: The automatic bonus applies only to Spanish Bachillerato certificates, as there is no equivalent for foreign qualifications.

How to apply

First book an admission interview for your chosen degree through the UCH admissions portal. Once you are admitted and have paid the place deposit, you request the scholarship on the university's intranet for new students. For 2026/27 there are two rounds: apply by 18 February 2026 (decision 3 March) or by 20 May 2026 (decision 2 June). You find out whether you got the award before your PAU (Selectividad) exam results come out.

How realistic are your chances?

With up to 100 awards each year and automatic renewal, prospects are solid for students who clearly clear the 7.0 bar and enrol at UCH. Because the committee ranks candidates by grades, languages and other merits, top marks and a documented record of activities push you toward the 100% tier rather than the 75% one. Applying in the first round helps, since places are limited.