Yikes! Reading the small print can be hard work. To make things easier for you, we have created an easy-to-read summary of UniSpain’s Terms & Conditions document below.
Since this guide is meant to be a simplified version, we figured it might be a bit silly to repeat entire paragraphs from the Terms & Conditions document here. So we are only giving you the most essential facts.
If you are worried about a particular aspect of the UniSpain contract, we would encourage you to read just the relevant paragraph in the Terms & Conditions document – with the help of this guide of course. In each section below we have included a blue text link to the Terms & Conditions document, stating the exact paragraph you need to read, if you want to find out specific figures or details relating to the topic.
Refunds, Changes, Cancellations
The main things you need to know about UniSpain refunds are as follows. Course deposits are absolutely non-refundable. You may get all your money back on course or accommodation payments, but only up to 4 weeks before your arrival date. Any time after 4 weeks and closer to your arrival date, you will lose money; this applies to both course and accommodation booking payments. And the closer you get to arrival, the more you will lose. Additionally, accommodation changes or cancellations made less than 4 weeks before arrival, might incur a minimum 50 euro extra fee, should finding accommodation at a late stage become extremely difficult (sometimes the case in peak season).
These rules are in place for two reasons. Firstly, because UniSpain has lots of work to do on each student’s language course and accommodation reservation, right from the moment payment is made, until the course ends. This refund policy simply ensures that UniSpain covers the costs of their time, manpower and resources spent on any booking. Secondly, UniSpain acts as an agent between the students and the schools. Because the schools have their own policies for cancellation, UniSpain’s policy simply reflects the way most of the language schools operate.
But how does it all work? As soon as a student receives a confirmation letter from the language school to say UniSpain has sent a deposit and registered the student on a course, then the deposit money officially belongs to the school. Even cancellations made many months in advance still mean that UniSpain will already have paid the deposit – and in most cases the schools do not return these.
If this happens, UniSpain will always try to negotiate with a school in order to use the deposit again on an alternative future course for the same student.
Since UniSpain earns their commission only on the total course fee (not the deposit), they are always interested resolving any cancellation issues and making sure that a cancelled course might be facilitated for a later date. This, however, cannot be guaranteed all of the time, because it will largely depend on an individual school’s policy.
The same applies to accommodation refunds. Once UniSpain makes an agreement on the student’s behalf, any money paid is no longer UniSpain’s, but belongs to the landlord. From that point forward, the landlord’s terms and conditions apply.
There have been one or two very exceptional cases due to last minute, proven illness or accident, where UniSpain were able to negotiate some money back on a last minute change. This is very rare. To avoid disappointment, we always advise you to cancel your course advance if you need to cancel.
Visas to Spain
Visa applications to Spain are divided into two groups, depending on whether your country has a special 90-day immigration agreement with Spain or not. Always check with your nearest Spanish embassy when planning a trip to Spain, to avoid later disappointment.
1. Students from countries that can enter Spain for up to 90 days without a visa
Some countries like USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and several others have an agreement with Spain and other EU countries whereby people from those countries can come to Spain for up to 90 days without a visa.
Do check with your nearest Spanish embassy. Even if your course lasts longer than 90 days, you will probably not have any problems getting a visa.
The language schools in Spain are therefore often happy to forward a confirmation letter to the student, just on the strength of a paid deposit or a partial payment, to say that they have been offered a place on the course and/or that their accommodation has been booked.
In the meantime it is of course the student’s own responsibility to make sure that they apply for the visa in time, from their nearest Spanish embassy, since UniSpain cannot do that bit! In any case, UniSpain always recommends that students talk to their nearest Spanish embassy first, when planning to come to Spain.
2. Students from countries that do not have a 90 day entry agreement with Spain
Some African and Asian countries do not currently have an 90-day agreement with the Spanish government. Because of Spain’s stringent immigrations laws, the language schools in Spain request students from these countries pay the full course price upfront, before the schools will issue a letter saying that the student is registered on a course. Once you have done this, UniSpain will then organise the certificate.
After this you will need to organise the visa yourself from your nearest Spanish embassy and make sure you get in time for your trip. As with students from other countries, UniSpain is unfortunately unable to assist with this part of the process and so getting the visa, in time, is totally up to you.
What happens if your visa is denied? UniSpain can only go as far as supplying the confirmation letter from the school or the accommodation. UniSpain simply cannot apply for a visa for anybody, because it is a legal immigration document that people must get through their nearest Spanish embassy, in their home country. A visa denial would probably result in UniSpain having to charge you for cancellations or changes. In the worst case scenario, it could also result in no refunds at all, unless you follow the visa denial change or cancellation procedure in the Terms and Conditions. So it is always advisable to start the visa application process well in time, to avoid any problems later.
Course Costs
UniSpain only charge course fees and have no separate registration fees, except for Granada University and the Complutense University in Madrid, charged at 80 euros. However, many schools do charge a registration fee! Also take note that course fees do not include additional school activities, such as tours or museum visits and in some cases you may also need to pay extra for text books.
Always check the Spanish Language “Program Overview” to see if you need to pay for any items like registration or books separately.
Be aware that sometimes schools change their course fees and therefore the prices shown on the UniSpain website will change from time to time. Keeping an eye out on price changes (especially if you leave a period of time between checking and booking) is therefore always highly recommended.
Many people also wonder about UniSpain’s discounts. Firstly, UniSpain is able to offer discounts on courses is because they share their booking commission with the language schools. Why? Because this means that UniSpain can then offer you, the student, an additional financial incentive to book the course through UniSpain, instead of a school.
Public Holidays in Spain
Spain has about 10-12 public holidays per year, including local and national days. During some or all of these, schools may be closed and they will not usually provide additional classes to make up for lost hours.
Accomodation costs
Don’t book your accommodation too late! All accommodation reservations closer than 4 weeks to your arrival incur an extra 50 euro charge, because finding a place to live for a student so close to the course date is simply said, pretty hard work. Also, just so you know, booking a place to stay through UniSpain, without also booking a language course, is not possible. Sorry!
Most accommodation bookings require a reservation deposit, paid upon arrival. It is your responsibility to get it back by satisfying the conditions the landlord has stipulated (UniSpain will inform you beforehand).
This will include things like leaving the accommodation on the agreed date, cleaning, returning keys and checking no damage has been done to the accommodation and its contents, plus anything else the landlord has stated as requirements.
Only some short term stays in shared or student accommodation include bills and if these are found to be excessive, you will need to pay the difference. For other types of flats, you will need to pay for utilities, for example water, electricity, gas bottles and community fees (UniSpain will inform you).
Accommodation Equipment, services and utilities
Flats will normally have no telephone or internet and if you require them, you will likely need to arrange for them yourself. Flats may or may not have a washing machine or a shared laundry area. If you have a concern or a special requirements, always ask beforehand to avoid disappointment. Students may well be responsible for little bits of maintenance too, like changing light bulbs, ordering and installing gas bottles used for heating and so on as well as taking care not to inflict any damage on the apartment or its contents, of course.
Having friends, or family over
Some landlords of rented accommodation do not allow visits at all, so you need to plan and check any visits well before your arrival, to confirm whether you can have people over or not.
Airport to accommodation pick-up service
If students want a pick up service from the airport to the accommodation, they need to pay for it separately. This can be expensive as the pick service involves the driver getting to the airport, picking the student(s) up, driving them to the accommodation and then returning to their point of departure.
UniSpain recommends that it is used only if the students feel they do not want to take public transport or a taxi. The airport pick-up service only includes only one journey from the airport to the accommodation. A pick up from accommodation to the airport, on the day of return, is not included.
Your personal details are protected
Once you give us your contact information, only UniSpain and the language school you are booked with, will send you information about your booking and possibly occasional information about services or offers. We will not let anybody else have your details. In compliance with European laws, we will make sure your personal data is protected and if you wish to retrieve it or change it any time, you have the right to do so.
Other legal stuff
UniSpain.com belongs to a Spanish company called Accom Consulting Spain. You’ll find all our official company registration details in the last paragraph of our Terms & Conditions.
Did you find what you needed?
We hope you’ve found what you needed. If you are still unsure, don’t hesitate to get in touch. UniSpain is always happy to help you with any aspect of your booking. You can contact us on [email protected], on Skype by adding spainmalaga or through our Contact page on our website. Alternatively, you can call us on any of these numbers:
Spain (+34) 952 222 998
USA (347) 708-0285
UK (020) 3287-5375
