Thinking of Dropping Out of Medicine in Spain? Permanencia Rules, Six Convocatorias and How a Transfer Saves Your Degree
02.10.2026
Short answer
Out of convocatorias or failing the permanencia rules in Spanish Medicine? How the limits work, the convocatoria de gracia and how a transfer saves your degree.
Can you be excluded from medical school in Spain for failing exams?
In short: Yes, through your university's normas de permanencia rather than a national law. Most Spanish universities allow six convocatorias per subject, may grant a seventh convocatoria de gracia on request, require a minimum number of passed credits in the first year and set a maximum number of years for the degree. Reaching these limits closes your enrolment in that degree.
Spanish students usually have two sittings per subject each academic year, an ordinary one at the end of the semester and an extraordinary one in June or July. Six convocatorias sound like a lot until you notice that three academic years with the same subject use them all up. And in a six-year degree where later subjects build on earlier ones, a single block in Physiology can freeze an entire course plan.
How Medicine in Spain gets blocked: four mechanisms
Each university writes its own normas de permanencia, but in 2026 most of them work with these four limits.
01
Six convocatorias
What triggers it
A subject is failed in every exam sitting you are allowed, usually six.
What it means for you
You cannot continue that subject unless a convocatoria de gracia is granted.
02
First-year minimum
What triggers it
You pass fewer credits than the rule requires in your first year, often 6 ECTS or one subject.
What it means for you
You may not continue the degree at that university.
03
Maximum years
What triggers it
The total years allowed for the degree run out.
What it means for you
Your enrolment in the degree is closed.
04
Second and third enrolment
What triggers it
You enrol in the same subject again.
What it means for you
The fee for that subject rises with each new enrolment.
The good news hidden in the rules is the no presentado. At most universities, a sitting you register for but do not attend does not consume a convocatoria. Students who know this can plan their attempts instead of burning them.
Free transfer consultation
Convocatorias running out? Continue abroad and return to Spain
We transfer you to a European medical school. In a free consultation we check which of your passed subjects can be recognised and plan your route back to Spain and to the MIR.
Book a free transfer consultationWhat happens after the sixth convocatoria?
In short: Once you have used all regular convocatorias in a subject, most Spanish universities let you apply to the rector for a convocatoria de gracia, an additional sitting granted for justified reasons such as illness or a family crisis. If it is refused or failed, you can no longer continue that degree at that university.
The convocatoria de gracia is not automatic. It is decided case by case, and the strongest applications are the ones that explain clearly what went wrong and show it has changed. A medical certificate, a record of a family emergency or proof of a diagnosed learning difficulty all matter here.
A closed enrolment at one university is not a ban from Medicine everywhere. Some students try to restart through the national admission process, others continue at another university, and many choose a medical school abroad where their passed subjects can be recognised.
What is the first-year minimum in Spanish Medicine?
In short: Most universities require new students to pass a minimum in their first year, often 6 ECTS credits or at least one subject. Students who fall below it may not continue the degree at that university, although exceptions can be requested for documented reasons.
For medical students, this rule mostly bites in the first semester, when a move to a new city, a heavy timetable and the end of school routines all arrive at once. A bad first year in Medicine is common. A bad first year with no subject passed at all is what triggers the rule, and it is worth asking for an exception before the deadline rather than after.
Why do medical students in Spain get stuck?
In short: Most students who stall in Spanish medical schools do not lack ability. The usual reasons are exam anxiety after years of chasing top grades, depression, a family crisis, the cost of living in big university cities and one subject that keeps failing, often Biochemistry, Physiology or Pharmacology.
Years of pressure, then the first fail
Students who reach Medicine with grades near 13 have often never failed anything. The first suspenso feels like a judgement on their whole life, and the anxiety it causes can make the next attempt even harder.
Depression and anxiety
Long days, constant exams and a sense that everyone else is coping make Medicine a lonely place for some. Depression is treatable, and Spanish universities offer psychological support services to their students.
A family crisis
A parent's illness, a death or a business in trouble pulls students home. Many keep enrolling anyway, and each missed or failed sitting quietly eats a convocatoria.
Money and work
Rent in Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia has climbed fast. Students who work evenings lose exactly the quiet hours that Medicine demands. That is a question of time, not of intelligence.
One subject, one department
Sometimes the whole problem is a single subject with a notoriously hard exam. Everything else is passed, but that one subject keeps the degree from moving.
None of this means you chose the wrong profession. I started my own studies of dental medicine in Sofia in 2015, at the age of 24, years after most of my classmates, and I graduated in 2021. A slower start is not a verdict on what kind of doctor you will become.
What can you do at your Spanish university before you run out of convocatorias?
In short: Before your last sitting, count the convocatorias you have used, check how no presentado is treated, prepare a convocatoria de gracia or permanencia exception if illness or a crisis played a part, and request your certificación académica personal and guías docentes. The same documents also prepare a transfer abroad.
The following four weeks cost nothing and keep every door open.
Week 1
Download your university's normas de permanencia and count the convocatorias you have used in each subject.
Week 1 to 2
Ask the faculty secretariat whether a sitting you missed counted as no presentado, which usually does not consume a convocatoria.
Week 2 to 3
If health, anxiety or a family crisis played a part, gather the documents for a convocatoria de gracia or a permanencia exception.
Week 3 to 4
Request your certificación académica personal and the guías docentes of every subject you have passed.
Before your last convocatoria
Book a free consultation to compare staying with a transfer while every option is still open.
The last step matters most. A transfer is far easier to plan while your enrolment is still open and your passed subjects are on record than after the permanencia commission has closed your degree.
Free transfer consultation
Transfer abroad, return to Spain: check your options
Send us your certificación académica personal. We tell you which universities accept your subjects, which year you can enter and how your route back to Spain looks. Free and without obligation.
Check my transfer optionsCan you transfer from a Spanish medical school to a university abroad?
In short: Yes. A transfer from a Spanish medical school to another European university is possible, and Medschool Experts organises it. Spanish credits follow the ECTS system, so the subjects you have passed can be assessed for recognition. Which universities fit you depends on your individual profile.
A study transfer is a complicated undertaking. Every university checks hours, content and syllabi in its own way, deadlines differ from country to country, and the documents have to arrive in exactly the right form. Our experts have almost ten years of experience with study transfers worldwide, which is why they can plan and carry them out with confidence, and the consultation costs you nothing.
Medschool Experts is the leading specialist for this worldwide and regularly achieves placements into higher years, at times Year 4 or Year 5, at strong universities. Which universities accept your previous exams depends on your specific profile, and that is exactly what we look at together in the free consultation.
Is a medical degree from abroad recognised in Spain, and can you return?
In short: A medical degree from another EU member state is recognised automatically in Spain under Directive 2005/36/EC, and graduates can sit the MIR exam for specialist training. Returning to a Spanish faculty during your studies is possible through a traslado de expediente, which usually needs at least 30 recognised ECTS and a free place, so it is limited but can be planned.
Many Spanish students who study abroad decide to finish there and return for the MIR. With around four to five months of holidays each year, they spend a good part of every year in Spain anyway, and their EU degree carries the same weight in the MIR as a Spanish one.
Free transfer consultation
Plan your way back to Spain from day one
Your EU degree is recognised in Spain and opens the MIR. We plan the transfer and the return together with you, before your last convocatoria.
Book a free transfer consultationWhat does another blocked year in Spain cost compared with a transfer?
In short: At public universities, repeated enrolments in the same subject cost more each time, and private faculties charge €15,000 to €25,000 a year. Add €9,000 to €13,000 for living costs in Madrid or Barcelona. Tuition at European medical schools starts at about €3,500 a year, and living costs in many Central and Eastern European cities are lower.
One more year stuck in Spain, or one year abroad?
Planning figures for 2026, meant for orientation. Your real numbers depend on your region, your city and the university that fits you.
The bigger cost is not money. It is a year without new clinical training while convocatorias run out in the background.
How Medschool Experts helps you save your medical degree
In short: Medschool Experts reviews your certificación académica and guías docentes in a free consultation, finds universities that fit your profile, prepares the application and the documents, and plans the route back to Spain and to the MIR. More than 500 students have been placed so far.
Getting started is simple. You send us your academic record, and we check what can be recognised and where. Then we plan the transfer, the paperwork and the timing together, ideally before your last convocatoria.
You can read how other students restarted on our student stories page and look at destinations in our universities overview. The first step is always a free consultation.
The author's view
When I began dental medicine in Sofia in 2015, I was 24, and most of my classmates were 19. I remember feeling late for everything. I graduated in 2021, and today nobody asks how old I was in my first semester. I tell this because so many Spanish students who write to us believe that one closed enrolment has decided their life. It has not.
Spanish students are among the best prepared we meet. They worked for years to reach a grade near 13, and then one subject or one hard year broke their rhythm. The permanencia rules are strict, but they are rules of one university, not a verdict on whether you can become a doctor.
Act while your enrolment is still open and every passed subject still counts. That is the moment when the most doors are open.
Summary
In Spain, the rules that stop a medical career come from each university's normas de permanencia. Most allow six convocatorias per subject and may grant a seventh convocatoria de gracia, require a minimum of passed credits in the first year and limit the total years of study. A sitting marked no presentado usually does not consume a convocatoria, and repeated enrolments in the same subject cost more each time.
The reasons students get stuck are human ones, from exam anxiety and depression to family crises, money and one subject that will not move. A transfer to another European medical school is possible, the year of entry depends on your profile, and a degree from another EU country is recognised in Spain under Directive 2005/36/EC and opens the door to the MIR.
Conclusion
A closed enrolment feels like the end of Medicine, but it is only the end of one degree at one university. If one subject or one hard period is holding you back, talk to us before your last convocatoria. The consultation is free, and it shows you what is possible with the subjects you have already passed. Book your free consultation.
Frequently asked questions about dropping out of medical school in Spain
Can you be expelled from Medicine in Spain for failing exams?
Not through a national law, but through your university's normas de permanencia. If you use up your convocatorias in a subject, fail the first-year minimum or exceed the maximum years, your enrolment in the degree at that university is closed.
How many convocatorias do you have per subject in Spain?
Most Spanish universities allow six convocatorias per subject, with two sittings per academic year. Many also let you apply for a seventh convocatoria de gracia for justified reasons.
Does a no presentado count as a convocatoria?
At most universities it does not. A sitting you register for but do not attend is usually marked no presentado and does not consume a convocatoria, but check your own university's rules.
What is a convocatoria de gracia?
It is an additional sitting granted by the rector after all regular convocatorias are used. It is decided case by case, usually for documented reasons such as illness, a family crisis or a learning difficulty.
What is the first-year minimum in Spanish universities?
Most universities require new students to pass a minimum in their first year, often 6 ECTS credits or at least one subject. Falling below it can mean you may not continue the degree there, unless an exception is granted.
Can I transfer from a Spanish medical school to a university abroad?
Yes. Medschool Experts organises transfers from Spanish medical schools to other European universities. The receiving university assesses your academic record and guías docentes, and which universities accept your subjects depends on your profile.
Will I lose a year if I transfer abroad?
That depends on your subjects and on the receiving university, and it is decided case by case. Medschool Experts regularly achieves placements into higher years, at times Year 4 or Year 5, at strong universities.
Is a medical degree from another EU country valid in Spain?
Yes. Under Directive 2005/36/EC, medical degrees from EU member states listed in its Annex V are recognised automatically in Spain, and graduates can sit the MIR exam for specialist training.
Can I return to a Spanish university after studying Medicine abroad?
Yes, through a traslado de expediente, which usually requires at least 30 recognised ECTS credits and an available place. Places are limited, so a return needs good planning.
Which documents do I need for a transfer from Spain?
You usually start with your certificación académica personal and the guías docentes of the subjects you have passed. Depending on the receiving university, further documents and translations may be needed, and we tell you exactly which ones in the free consultation.
Does the consultation with Medschool Experts cost anything?
No. The first consultation is free and without obligation. We look at your situation, your academic record and your goals and explain which options are open to you.
Further reading
What students say about Medschool Experts
Over 500 placements at 25+ partner universities across 10+ countries. See how our students experienced their path into medical school abroad in our student stories.
About the author
Marcel Kloos
Founder and owner of Medschool Experts, federally recognised dentist
Marcel Kloos is the founder and owner of Medschool Experts, a placement agency for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy degrees abroad. Since 2021 the team has secured more than 500 study places at 25+ partner universities in Europe and worldwide.
Study medicine abroad: Marcel's own path
Born in Stuttgart, Marcel started his degree late: at 24 he enrolled at the Medical University of Sofia, Faculty of Dental Medicine, and graduated in 2021 from the English-language programme. He went through the same steps his clients face today — nostrification of school certificates, entrance interviews, finding a flat in Sofia and later the recognition of a foreign degree. He is a federally recognised dentist.
What Marcel does at Medschool Experts
Today Marcel lives in Bern and runs Medschool Experts full-time. He visits every partner university in person, negotiates placement agreements directly with faculties and deans, and leads the free consultations in which applicants learn at which university they can start next semester. His YouTube channel on studying medicine abroad has helped thousands of applicants compare universities, costs and recognition.
Topics Marcel writes about
- Study medicine abroad independent of your high school diploma grades: universities, costs and admission
- Study dentistry, veterinary medicine or pharmacy in Europe in English
- Tuition fees and living costs at medical schools in Europe and worldwide
- Recognition of foreign medical degrees in the EU, Switzerland, the UK and the US
- Transferring between medical schools and returning home into a higher semester
All articles by Marcel Kloos are based on first-hand visits to the universities and conversations with current students. Book a free consultation to discuss your own path.
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