How many Bachillerato modalidades are there?

Under the LOMLOE there are four: Science and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Arts and General. Humanities and Social Sciences has two routes in practice, depending on whether you choose Latin or Mathematics Applied to the Social Sciences, and Arts has two tracks: Visual Arts, Image and Design, and Music and Performing Arts.

Can I study any degree with any modalidad?

Yes. Any Bachillerato modalidad gives access to any university degree in Spain. The modalidad affects your admission mark, because it decides which subjects you take into the PAU and which ones can be weighted, and it lets you apply to every degree.

Which subject from my modalidad is in the PAU?

The compulsory second-year modalidad subject: Matemáticas II in Science and Technology; Latín II or Matemáticas Aplicadas a las Ciencias Sociales II in Humanities and Social Sciences; Dibujo Artístico II, Análisis Musical II or Artes Escénicas II in Arts, depending on the track; and Ciencias Generales in the General Bachillerato.

Can I switch modalidad between the first and second year?

Often yes, under conditions each autonomous community sets, such as catching up on subjects from the new modalidad. Ask at your school before the first year ends: the earlier you raise it, the easier it is.

Does the General Bachillerato lead to university?

Yes, it gives access to any degree like the other modalidades. It is designed for a broad education. What is worth checking is how the degrees and universities you like value Ciencias Generales, because that is where it affects your admission mark.

Which modalidad suits me?

The one that lets you study what interests you with energy and keeps the degrees you like open. A good method: pick two or three possible degrees, look at which subjects they weigh at universities that suit you, and compare that with the modalidades and electives your school offers. And talk to your school counselor.

Bachillerato modalidades in Spain: which to choose and where they lead

In this article

What the modalidades are and what changes between them
Each modalidad, its PAU subject and where it usually leads
Four ideas worth revisiting
Where it is really decided: the weightings
How to choose with the doors open
Common questions

What the modalidades are and what changes between them

Spain’s Bachillerato, the two years of upper secondary before university, has a part every student takes and a part you choose. The part you choose is the modalidad, and under the LOMLOE there are four: Science and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Arts and General.

Two of them split inside. Humanities and Social Sciences is a single modalidad, but in the first year you choose between Latin and Mathematics Applied to the Social Sciences, and that choice shapes the rest of the route. Arts has two tracks that share no subjects: Visual Arts, Image and Design on one side, Music and Performing Arts on the other.

Each modalidad has one compulsory subject that continues into the second year and is examined in the PAU, plus its own electives. Each school offers its own selection of modalidades and electives, so the list that counts is your school’s.

What stays the same is access: with any modalidad you can apply to any degree. What changes is which subjects you arrive with, and that shows in the admission mark.

Each modalidad, its PAU subject and where it usually leads

For each modalidad, the fields of study where its PAU subject usually weighs most, a few example degrees, and the median cut-off mark for that field at the public universities in the latest admission round. Read it as a guide rather than a rule: each university sets its own weightings, and degrees in other fields stay within reach.

Modalidad	Field of study	Example degrees	Median cut-off for the field
Science and Technology (Matemáticas II)	Health	Enfermería, Fisioterapia, Medicina	10.80
	Engineering and engineering trades	Ingeniería Mecánica, Ingeniería Química, Ingeniería Eléctrica	7.04
	Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)	Ingeniería Informática, Inteligencia Artificial, Diseño y Desarrollo de Videojuegos	9.08
	Biological and related sciences	Biotecnología, Ciencias Ambientales, Biología	9.50
	Architecture and construction	Ingeniería Civil, Fundamentos de la Arquitectura, Arquitectura Técnica	7.04
Humanities (Latín II)	Languages	Estudios Ingleses, Traducción e Interpretación, Filología Hispánica	5.00
	Education	Educación Primaria, Educación Social, Educación Infantil	7.55
	Arts	Historia del Arte, Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales	5.00
Social Sciences (Matemáticas Aplicadas II)	Business and administration	Administración y Dirección de Empresas, Relaciones Laborales y Recursos Humanos, Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas	5.84
	Law	Derecho, Relaciones Laborales y Empleo	5.84
	Social and behavioural sciences	Psicología	7.36
Visual Arts, Image and Design (Dibujo Artístico II)	Arts	Bellas Artes, Diseño, Animación	5.00
Music and Performing Arts (Análisis Musical II or Artes Escénicas II)	Arts	Comunicación Audiovisual, Historia y Ciencias de la Música	5.00
General (Ciencias Generales)	Business and administration	Administración y Dirección de Empresas, Relaciones Laborales y Recursos Humanos, Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas	5.84
	Education	Educación Primaria, Educación Social, Educación Infantil	7.55
	Personal services	Turismo, Ciencias Gastronómicas, Gastronomía	5.38

Four ideas worth revisiting

Almost every worry about modalidades comes from the same four ideas. Each has some truth in it, which is why they are hard to let go of.

“If I take Humanities, I can’t study Psychology”
You can. The modalidad keeps every degree open. What can happen is that the subjects that weigh for that degree at your university are different ones, so you compete without those extra points or sit them in the admission phase of the PAU.
“Science keeps every door open”
It opens many, especially in health and engineering, where its subjects usually weigh heavily. It also asks for a lot of hours in demanding subjects, and your Bachillerato average is 60% of your access mark. Choosing Science out of interest works; choosing it out of fear of closing doors can cost you.
“The General Bachillerato is for people who don’t know what to do”
It is a complete modalidad designed for a broad education, and it leads to university like the others. It is worth checking how the degrees you like value Ciencias Generales at each university.
“If I get it wrong, I lose everything”
In many regions you can switch modalidad going into the second year, with conditions. And the PAU’s admission phase exists precisely to add points with subjects that weigh for the degree you choose. A wrong turn costs effort, and it can be fixed.

Where it is really decided: the weightings

Your admission mark is built in two layers. The access mark runs from 5 to 10: your Bachillerato average counts for 60% and the PAU’s access phase for 40%. On top of that, up to two more subjects are added, each multiplied by 0.1 or 0.2 depending on what each university considers related to that degree. That is why the ceiling is 14.

Your modalidad’s compulsory subject is examined in the access phase, and for many degrees it can also count as one of those weighted subjects. It is the most direct way your modalidad touches your mark.

Each university publishes its weightings in advance, and they can differ from one university to another for the same degree. Before choosing a modalidad and electives, it is worth looking up the tables for two or three degrees you like at the universities where you picture yourself studying. Fifteen minutes now saves a surprise two years later.

How to choose with the doors open

Start with what interests you and what you enjoy working at. Two years of subjects that say little to you show up in your average, and your average is 60% of your access mark.

Then look one step ahead. Pick two or three degrees that appeal to you, even if you are unsure, and check what they weigh. If they all point to the same modalidad, you have your answer. If they point in different directions, look for the modalidad and electives that keep more of them open.

And talk to your school counselor. They know what your school really offers, which electives can be combined, and they have walked with many students through the same choice. Today is about the next step, and the rest of the path comes into view as you go.

Common questions

How many Bachillerato modalidades are there?
Under the LOMLOE there are four: Science and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Arts and General. Humanities and Social Sciences has two routes in practice, depending on whether you choose Latin or Mathematics Applied to the Social Sciences, and Arts has two tracks: Visual Arts, Image and Design, and Music and Performing Arts.
Can I study any degree with any modalidad?
Yes. Any Bachillerato modalidad gives access to any university degree in Spain. The modalidad affects your admission mark, because it decides which subjects you take into the PAU and which ones can be weighted, and it lets you apply to every degree.
Which subject from my modalidad is in the PAU?
The compulsory second-year modalidad subject: Matemáticas II in Science and Technology; Latín II or Matemáticas Aplicadas a las Ciencias Sociales II in Humanities and Social Sciences; Dibujo Artístico II, Análisis Musical II or Artes Escénicas II in Arts, depending on the track; and Ciencias Generales in the General Bachillerato.
Can I switch modalidad between the first and second year?
Often yes, under conditions each autonomous community sets, such as catching up on subjects from the new modalidad. Ask at your school before the first year ends: the earlier you raise it, the easier it is.
Does the General Bachillerato lead to university?
Yes, it gives access to any degree like the other modalidades. It is designed for a broad education. What is worth checking is how the degrees and universities you like value Ciencias Generales, because that is where it affects your admission mark.
Which modalidad suits me?
The one that lets you study what interests you with energy and keeps the degrees you like open. A good method: pick two or three possible degrees, look at which subjects they weigh at universities that suit you, and compare that with the modalidades and electives your school offers. And talk to your school counselor.

Do you guide students choosing their Bachillerato?

We work with schools on a way to explore the modalidades and electives each school offers, before students choose. If you would like to see it, let’s talk.

Talk to us

Bachillerato modalidades: which to choose and where they lead