Spanish Becas MEC: Can You Use Them to Study Abroad in Europe

How becas MEC works

The Ministerio de Educación's general study grant (beca MEC) is Spain's main need-based financial aid for students in higher education. Each year, a Royal Decree sets the income and asset thresholds (umbrales de renta y patrimonio) and the exact grant amounts. For the 2025-2026 academic year, these are set out in Real Decreto 163/2025 .

Under the lowest threshold (umbral 1), which runs from 9,315 EUR for a one-person family up to 38,189 EUR for an eight-person family, plus 3,725 EUR for each additional family member, you qualify for the full package: a fixed amount linked to income of 1,700 EUR, a fixed amount linked to residence of 2,700 EUR if you must live away from your family home to study, and a variable amount calculated from your family's income and your academic record.

A second, higher threshold (umbral 2) also exists, running from 13,898 EUR for a one-person family up to 52,850 EUR for an eight-person family, plus 3,340 EUR per extra member. Falling between umbral 1 and umbral 2 changes which components of the grant you qualify for, so check your exact family size and income against the official table on becaseducacion.gob.es rather than assuming the umbral 1 package applies.

Keeping it while studying abroad

The short answer is generally yes, if you go on an Erasmus+ exchange while remaining enrolled at your Spanish university for your degree. Because Erasmus+ mobility is built as a period abroad within your existing Spanish degree, not a transfer to a foreign university, you keep your enrollment status at home, which is what the beca MEC is tied to.

The Erasmus+ grant itself does not count as income when the beca MEC calculates your family's financial situation, so receiving Erasmus funding does not push you over an income threshold or reduce your beca MEC amount. In practice, the two grants are designed to work together rather than compete.

Extra support for beca MEC holders on Erasmus

Erasmus+ includes additional monthly support for students classified as having fewer opportunities, and being a recipient of Spain's general state study grant is one of the criteria that qualifies you for this category. The exact top-up amount changes with each annual Erasmus+ call, so check the current figure with your university's international relations office or SEPIE rather than relying on a past year's number.

What to check before you apply for both

• Confirm you remain formally enrolled at your Spanish university for the academic year, since that enrollment is what keeps your beca MEC application valid.

• Check the current year's Royal Decree on becaseducacion.gob.es for the exact income thresholds and amounts, since these get updated annually.

• Apply for your beca MEC within the normal national deadline, even if your Erasmus mobility period falls mid-year, since the beca MEC cycle runs independently of your Erasmus timeline.

• Ask your university's Erasmus or international office whether you qualify for the additional fewer-opportunities top-up as a beca MEC holder before your mobility starts.

Where the money actually comes from

Your beca MEC keeps coming from the Spanish state through your home university even while you study abroad, since it is tied to your Spanish enrollment, not your physical location. Your Erasmus+ grant is a separate payment covering the additional cost of living and studying abroad, funded through the EU programme and administered in Spain by the Ministry's own study grants portal and your university's international office. Keep both applications on their own timelines and do not assume one office automatically informs the other about your status.