Deadlines for Admission and Registration

The enrollment process entails a set of actions established to formally acquire the status of student at the university.

Through its Academic Secretary, the university manages the entire process and establishes an enrollment calendar and an enrollment guide that is sent to each student, providing detailed information on the entire process and the required documentation.

As in the previous process, different administrative and academic services support this department to solve any inconvenience or issue, including counseling students on subject selection for enrollment via credit recognition. To complete the enrollment process and obtain a regular student status, the following is required:

• Filling out the specific forms for this process (forms regarding personal data, enrollment contract acceptance, and method payment for tuition fees, among others)
• Providing the original identification documents.
• Providing the original academic documents that certify the fulfillment of the admission requirements.
   

Once enrollment is completed, the student will receive a Letter of Admission required to apply for the transfer of their file, as well as to obtain login credentials for the essential platforms of the university community, such as the student email, computer labs, and Virtual Campus. The latter is a digital platform that allows students to have direct contact with professors, be able to access didactic material, solve questions, have debates with other students, read teaching guides, etc.

In addition, it is used share information about different activities at the university, important notices, satisfaction surveys, etc.

As mentioned above, enrolled students are part of the university community and are attributed all rights and duties established within the university's internal regulations.

New students are summoned to attend personally and receive all the necessary support in their first enrollment process in the university system. In this way, personal contact initiated in previous phases is maintained and a better integration and knowledge of the university structure, academic calendar, etc., is ensured.

This measure carries a specific distinction regarding international students. Due to the sudden adjustment that cultural, educational, and linguistic changes entail for a student, the International Relations Office sets up a schedule of meetings lasting several weeks during the international students' arrival period. Each student has the option to attend at least one of them and obtain information on how to fill out the registration forms, the homologation process, public transportation systems, procedures related to their visa, as well as any other aspect that may be required upon arrival in Santander. After completing their enrollment, students are summoned to the first day of the academic year to begin activities at the university campus.

Upon starting a degree program, students enrolled in the first academic year must be enrolled in all subjects established in that year's syllabus (first and second semesters), except for students enrolled in a part-time syllabus according to the table shown in the report of each degree program that refers to the number of ECTS required for enrollment according to year and type of enrollment (full-time enrollment and part-time enrollment) or special situations to be assessed by the academic coordination in the case of medical, employment, or other contexts that, after prior request of the student, deserve an exceptional situation concerning the number of ECTS in enrollment.

Simultaneous Studies

The university will guarantee, by virtue of the regulations in force in this matter, a flexible application of simultaneous studies to favor the full adaptation of the curricula to the objectives, capacities, and academic and professional priorities of the students without any detriment to a high level of academic performance or to the coherence of the educational content and the fulfillment of the academic objectives established in application of the legislation in force. To this end, academic formulas will be devised to enable simultaneous degrees under the aforementioned conditions. Students who wish to begin university studies other than the ones they are studying, within the university or in a different one, must meet the following criteria:

• Make their request for simultaneous degrees to the rector of the university, who, after a prior report from the director of the degree program, will make a decision based on compliance with the established rules and the reasons presented.
• If the student pursues two degree programs offered at this university, a report will be requested from the two departments of the degree programs affected.
• When simultaneous degrees involving courses taught at another university are requested, the authorization of both institutions involved will be required.
• Appeal to the Governing Council as a last resort in case of disagreement with the decision made by the rector of the university.
• In the event of a resolution approving simultaneous degrees, the General Secretary of the university will ensure the custody of the file under the legally established terms.

Obtaining Student Status

A student will achieve the status of student of the university at the moment they complete the enrollment process, which will mean that they have complied with the administrative and academic requirements set by the university and current regulations. Only students who have previously reserved a place for one of the vacancies available in the degree program may begin the enrollment process. In the event that all vacancies are filled, a reservation may still be made, but the student will be placed on a waiting list until such time as a preregistered student refuses to continue with the enrollment process or does not meet the admission requirements and releases their place.

Despite the fact that study plans are taught on-site, the university contemplates the possibility of teaching some of the subjects in a non-face-to-face manner, either totally virtual or hybrid, in the event of an exceptional medical, family, or other situation derived from the student or the university having a particular situation.

In the case of affecting the conditions of a student, this will be done upon written request addressed to the Academic Secretary and must provide supporting documentation of the situation that totally or partially prevents the student from attending class. In any case, whether or not there is a request by one or more students, there will always be a resolution by a committee, formed by the academic coordination of the degree, teachers of the affected subjects, and the General Secretary, who will previously evaluate the case and will issue a justified resolution before its application. In no case will this type of modification affect the training objectives and learning outcomes of the degree program

In general, the university urges all departments, both academic and administrative, to always support and guide new students during the process of access and beginning of their studies.

Regarding the blended and distance learning mode of the master's program, once students have completed the enrollment process, they will receive a welcome letter with access to the program's complete presentation and any relevant information, as well as the credentials to access the platform. From the start date of the program, students will be able to access the different virtual environments for the development of their studies (student portal and Virtual Campus). It is worth noting that from the student portal, students can immediately contact various administrative, counseling, and technical support services.  

Activities on the Virtual Campus begins with an awareness phase, aimed at familiarization with the training support tool, which favors optimal use of the program. As part of this phase, students must complete a series of tutorials that address topics such as campus structure, program structure and, subject structure, as well as aspects of the study process and the various communication tools within the virtual platform. The tutorials include a set of exercises for students to practice with the campus tools. 

Each blended or distance learning academic program has a coordinator who, from the beginning, is responsible for the integral attention to the students of the program in coordination with the academic, services, and university development departments. 

In addition, the university has a series of departments that put together and complement the academic and university life of the enrolled student:   

• Business University Center

This department is of special relevance to all enrolled students regardless of their learning modality. From a professional point of view, CEMU seeks linking companies and students through individual and personalized treatment. CEMU is the department responsible for the management of external work placements. Its activity is mainly focused on providing students with work placements in a real work environment, with the objective of allowing students to apply and complement the knowledge they have acquired throughout their academic training, favoring the acquisition and development of competencies and skills that prepare them for the exercise of any professional activity and for their insertion in the job market.

• Psychopedagogical Office  
• Physical Activity and Sports Service
• Language Center
• International Relations
• Cooperation and Social Action Office (OCAS) 
• Equality Commission
• Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Industrial de Cantabria 

In addition to all of the above, there is another group of departments, such as the University Advocate, Cultural Extension, Language School, Theater Classroom, and student clubs and associations, among others, that provide other types of administrative and extracurricular resources. All these departments work together to facilitate the adaptation and personal and academic development of the university students.

In the case of distance programs, the university has adapted these measures when necessary, being aware of the difficulty of accessing all the resources available on campus. To this end, students have access to virtual sessions and training documents on the tools and resources that make up their daily lives as students enrolled in this modality, in addition to permanent and flexible access to the numerous university services.  

Credit Recognition and Transfer Committee

The Credit Recognition and Transfer Committee is the collegiate and common body responsible for the credit recognition and transfer system in all official degrees of the university, ensuring its correct operation and guaranteeing the homogeneity of criteria in its organization, application, and interpretation.

This commission is made up of the following:

1. The academic departments of the degree programs for the scope of their respective degrees.
2. The secretary general, who shall, in turn, act as secretary of the commission.

The commission will organize the procedure in each academic year, establishing the periods for the presentation of applications and the calendar for the resolution of the dossiers and their subsequent communication to the interested parties. Likewise, it will approve and supervise the instruments created by the respective centers for each degree program, which will allow for the quick resolution of applications that have the same precedents.

In its activity, the commission will promote the implementation of transparency measures to facilitate the information to students on the procedure for the recognition and transfer of credits and its requirements and conditions of application and will ensure the continuous monitoring and regular evaluation of the operation of the credit recognition and transfer system.

To this end, it may submit to the Governing Council proposals for improvement of the system and, if necessary, amendments to its regulations.

The procedure is as follows:

The application for credit recognition or transfer must be accompanied by the following documents:

1. Credit recognition or transfer files will be processed at the request of the interested party after enrollment in the degree with the indication of their intention to apply for this procedure. The applicant must substantiate their request with supporting documentation:
   • In the case of credit recognition, applicants must document the credits obtained and their academic content, indicating the modules and subjects they consider passed.
   • In the case of credit transfer, students who join a new degree program shall indicate if they have previously taken other official studies without having completed them, providing, if they are not university courses, the corresponding supporting documentation.
2. Applications for credit recognition or transfer shall be submitted to the center where the student has applied for access within the ordinary deadline and preferably before the beginning of the training activities. The university has developed computer tools that, as a complement to the application option through specific forms, facilitate the interrelation between the student, the Admissions Office, and the Degree Recognition Committee. In this way, direct contact forms are established, linked to the university's management system, which allow the different resolutions to be recorded and incorporated into the student's file when enrollment is completed.
3. The degree coordination or commission will decide within a maximum period of one month, whose decision will be informed to the student and registered in the system for the control of the different departments involved in the process, such as the Admissions Office or the Academic Secretary's Office. A list of the different resolutions issued will be generated which, together with the resolutions, will be sent for final approval by means of the corresponding Rector's Resolution.
4. If the resolution is negative, the student may, in a single instance, request that their file be reviewed by the Governing Council within 10 days of notification. Special cases or situations not initially foreseen in the internal regulations shall be resolved directly by the Governing Council as the highest academic collegiate body of this university.

The application for credit recognition or transfer must be accompanied by the following documents:

• A transcript indicating the subjects taken with the grades obtained, the year of completion of studies, and the duration of the degree.
• Syllabus and teaching projects or passed subject equivalent, duly endorsed by the institution with an indication of their ECTS attribution.
• Title certificate, if applicable. In any case, the entire procedure must be concluded as soon as possible so as not to interfere with the normal development of the academic year.

The provisions of Royal Decree 822/2021, of September 28th, establish the organization of official university education and contemplate the possibility of recognizing work and professional experience as credits that will count towards obtaining an official degree, provided that such experience is related to the competencies inherent to such degree.

The professional experience that may be recognized (up to a maximum of 15% of the total credits of the syllabus) must meet, simultaneously and at the time of submission of the application and documentation required of the student, the following requirements:

Within the deadlines and means established by the university, together with the application containing the student's requests for recognition, the following must be provided:

1. A company certificate, stating the period, hours of activity, and description of the tasks and functions performed. In the case of self-employed workers, a sworn statement shall be provided, including a description of the professional activity performed, periods of work, competencies, skills, and abilities acquired throughout the professional practice.
2. Work history report.

Regarding the documentation provided, correct adaptation of the tasks and functions performed to the subject competencies will be evaluated.

In the case of work placements, at least 300 hours of professional activity must be proved. 

In the case of other types of subjects, proven professional activity of at least 1 year of full-time work is needed.

These minimum requirements will always be adjusted to at least equal the total number of hours equivalent to the credits of the subjects for which recognition is requested. With the exception of the Final Degree/Master's Project, any other type of course may be eligible for recognition. 

The evaluation work of the Credit Recognition Committees will ensure that the skills, tasks, and functions performed through professional experience coincide in percentages higher than 70% with the competencies and credits of each subject so that there is no difference between the graduate profile and that of the student applying for credit recognition.

This way, and throughout the syllabus, the student's correct development is ensured, and they remain in accordance with what is established in the degree memory at a formative level.

Studies completed in Higher-Level Training Cycles may be subject to recognition provided that the student has completed the corresponding training cycle and that it is related to the competencies inherent to the destination degree.
The university and the corresponding autonomous community will establish a framework specifying the recognition conditions.
To apply the normative attributions, the university shall authorize credit recognition by this means, implementing the principles, maximum and minimum criteria, and processes described in this section. For this purpose, it may establish academic tables that regulate the subjects recognized in accordance with certain modules of associate degrees to expedite the process and facilitate the student's procedure.

The tables that, by virtue of the established agreement, are recognized between the Public Administration and UNEATLANTICO for the recognition between non-university higher education degrees and university degrees are the following:

• Credit Recognition Tables in the Addendum of October 2024

These recognized credits will not have a numerical grade and, therefore, cannot be used at the time of evaluating the student's transcript.

In compliance with current regulations, the university will promote mobility formulas in the agreements signed with the home universities to favor the temporary reception of students through a system that combines rigorous content with agility and simplification of procedures for credit recognition.

Likewise, the credit transfer system allows special attention to be given to students coming from other educational systems where the content of the degree is determined by the student's choice.

Mobility students requesting credit recognition or transfer shall be governed by the rules of the respective program, the agreement signed between the two institutions, and, in addition, by the general regulations of the university in this matter.

The university will establish mechanisms to ensure that students who undertake any of these programs will obtain recognition of the number of credits assigned to the period of their displacement. In any case, credit recognition may not exceed a certain percentage of the total credits established in the corresponding call and/or agreement, guaranteeing the acquisition of the defined competencies.
 
OUTGOING STUDENTS

Students enrolled in this university can go on international exchanges in different universities or institutions of higher education linked to the university through institutional programs or by an agreement. Students who participate in these mobility activities by taking a period of study at another institution will obtain the recognition derived from the academic agreement established prior to their departure.

The period of studies completed within the framework of an official mobility program or agreement will obtain academic recognition at the university, replacing a similar period, based on the following principles:

• Mobility must respect diversity, and therefore, in the recognition document, the name of the completed studies must be kept literal.
• The formative value will be recognized as a whole, taking into account the learning objectives achieved and the work done by the students.
• All credits earned will be recognized, regardless of those corresponding to the same courses at the home institution.

Students who are selected to participate in a mobility program or agreement must, prior to their arrival at the host institution, formalize a contractual document called a Study Contract. This document shall indicate the following:

• The courses and their respective credits to be taken at the host university.
• The subjects and credits corresponding to the syllabus of the degree that the student is taking at the university and which will be recognized when passed during the mobility activity.
• The subjects taken in accordance with the Study Contract must be passed at the host university in the modality, dates, and possible exam dates specified by said university for the academic year of the mobility activity.

The effective completion of the study program established in the student's Study Contract will allow the recognition of the credits taken at the host university as if they had been taken in the corresponding curriculum of the university.
 
INCOMING STUDENTS

The university will welcome students from other universities or institutions of higher education linked to the university through institutional programs or an agreement, as well as those who individually wish to study at the university for a period of time. Depending on the nature of their studies:

• It will collaborate closely in the application of the academic recognition system established in the home institution, assuming the functions derived from the mobility program or agreement regarding all host students who visit its facilities to partially take official courses within the framework of a mobility program or agreement.
• It shall certify the completion of certain credits and, if applicable, shall apply its credit transfer system for all host students who visit, aiming to take partial courses.

Host students will take the subjects agreed upon with the home university in the modality and dates specified by the university for their academic year of enrollment. The professors responsible for the subjects taken by host students will issue specific minutes in which the grades obtained by such students will be recorded in accordance with the general grading system applicable at this university. After the corresponding evaluation, specific academic certifications will be issued, in accordance with the formal requirements of the respective programs or agreements, after making the appropriate conversions.

The General Secretary, in collaboration with the university's International Relations Office, will forward said specific academic certificates, duly completed, both to the respective students and to the competent bodies of their home universities, which will proceed, in application of their own system, to the credit recognition under the determined conditions.