What are the SICUE programme and the Seneca grants?

Among the different student mobility programmes, there is the SICUE programme, the mobility programme for Spanish students interested in a change of scenery to study at another Spanish university.

What does the SICUE programme consist of?

We could say that the SICUE scholarship programme, whose acronym corresponds to the Sistema de Intercambio entre Centros Universitarios de España (System of Exchange between Spanish University Centres), is the Spanish version of an Erasmus, where the students can change their residence and university to continue their university studies.

This type of programme seeks to promote collaboration between universities and the unification of the student community, thus giving all Spanish students the opportunity to undertake an experience outside their usual residence and in a different school environment, and all with the guarantee that their academic progress will be recognised on their return and no matter wherever they go.

Thanks to this programme, students can discover how different the academic offer and course planning can be depending on the city where it is taught, as well as benefiting from a variety of internship programmes and even learning about a different culture within Spain itself.

So, what is the Séneca scholarship?

The SICUE programme is a mobility programme that does not include financial aid for students who participate in it. Since 2013-2014, students selected for exchange were no longer able to apply for a Séneca grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. In 2008-2009, grants were as high as 500 euros per month, plus a travel allowance of 120 euros, or 200 euros in the case of students going to universities in the Balearic or Canary Islands, Ceuta or Melilla.

Although these Séneca grants are not currently being offered, you can apply for the general Spanish MEC grants in case you need financial assistance to cover your stay in another province.

Who can participate in the SICUE programme?

This grant, as we have already mentioned, is aimed exclusively at university students enrolled in Spanish universities, as it is a programme created by the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE). These students can be studying either a bachelor's or a master's degree, as long as it is part of the programme.

The duration of the mobility will be a minimum of half an academic year and a maximum of the entire academic year.

In addition, you will be able to take subjects that you still have pending and subjects you have failed, as well as curricular internships or the Final Degree Project.

What do you need? Requirements to apply for the Séneca scholarship

• You must have passed a minimum of 45 credits to date and be enrolled for at least 30 credits the year you apply for the grant.
• Submit the academic mobility application form.
• Enrol for a minimum of 24 credits and a maximum of 45 credits at the new host university; this step will be carried out after the places' assignment.

How to apply for the Séneca 2021 grant: deadlines and procedures

Currently, we do not have exact dates for applying for the SICUE 2022 grant, but we can get an approximate idea considering that the dates for the SICUE 2021 grant have been from 12th February to 4th March.

In order to apply for this mobility programme, you need to go to the SICUE office of your university and follow the established steps. If they do not have any protocol to follow, you will need to fill in the application for academic mobility that you can find on the CRUE website and present the completed form at the SICUE office of your university.

There is a body in charge of verifying that you meet the established requirements in terms of credits passed and of establishing your average mark throughout the course. These forms will be reordered according to the average mark to offer an order in the allocation of places; that is to say, the higher your mark is, the greater the chances of you being able to choose your preferred city and university.

Once you have been assigned a place, you will have to formalise an Academic Agreement between your university and the university that will host you, establishing the subjects you will take at your new university.

If you have any doubts, don't forget that you can go directly to the SICUE office of your university and request more information, or contact the SICUE office of your choice by consulting the document provided by the CRUE, with the contact details of the SICUE offices of each university.

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