The scholarships of the Ministry of Education reach more than 25,000 Extremadura students in the 2024/2025 academic year

• The number of recipients of grants for students with specific support needs in Extremadura increased by 18.3% • The general call for grants for the 2025/2026 academic year ends with record applications at national level

More than 25,000 students from Extremadura have been awarded scholarships in this course by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports between the general call and the call for specific educational support needs. In total, 25,161 students from the region have received scholarships, which means an increase of 4.29% compared to the previous year. In absolute terms, the scholarships of the Ministry have reached 1,036 Extremadura students more than during the academic year 2023/2024.

The scholarships and grants awarded in Extremadura go up in all types of teaching. In university studies and higher artistic education, the number of fellows in the region in the general call for applications is 7,132 this year, 4.7% more than in the previous year. The scholarships granted in the general call for post-compulsory non-university studies (mainly FP and Baccalaureate) also increased, which stood at 15,507, that is, 2.1% more than the academic year 2023/2024. For its part, the aid for students with specific educational support needs rose by 18.3%, reaching more than 2,500 Extremadura students.

Application record for the 2025-2026 course

The general call for scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year has received 1,430,917 applications nationwide, which is the largest number in history. Specifically, 632,292 students have applied for a university scholarship and 798,625, a non-university scholarship.

This call, which ended on May 30, has received 5.6% more requests than the previous one. By level, the number of requests from non-university students increased more (6.3%) compared to university students (4.7%). To these data we will have to add those of the call for grants for students with specific need of educational support, which remains open until September 11.

To meet those requests that meet the stipulated requirements, the Government approved a record budget of 2,544 million euros. This is the eighth consecutive increase in the amount allocated to scholarships and study grants, which has increased by more than 1.1 billion euros since 2017; more than 80%.

This progressive budgetary increase has allowed the number of students with scholarships to grow year after year. In this course 2024-2025, 964,811 have received a scholarship or study aid. They are 51,000 more than in the previous year and 180,000 more than in 2017-2018 (23% more).

This increase is especially striking in students with a specific need for educational support who receive aid, which has doubled (up 116%) since the 2017-2018 academic year, with an investment of 265 million euros.

In addition to the budgetary commitment, the Government has introduced numerous changes to the Royal Decree regulating scholarships and study grants with the aim of consolidating them as a subjective right and expanding the number of students who have access to them. For example, the income thresholds have been increased, the percentage of necessary disability has been reduced, groups in need of support have been expanded, the amount associated with residency has been improved by 900 euros or the academic requirements for victims of gender or sexual violence have been relaxed, among other measures.