Spain's medical entry score hits 12.22 amid foreign doctor imports

Score of 12.22 for Medicine? Meanwhile, foreign doctors are imported en masse

What happens when the cutoff score to enter Medicine in Spain exceeds 12.22 out of 14, and at the same time, the healthcare system imports thousands of foreign doctors? The paradox is perfect: young Spaniards are locked out of the degree by fractions of a point, while regional governments hire physicians trained abroad to fill gaps.

The news that peine the debate came from late May 2026: an article by Olga R. Sanmartín and Alberto Hernández in El Confidencial/La Vanguardia revealed that 70% of public health degrees require a score of 10 or higher for admission, and that there is a shortage of 15,000 public spots in scientific degrees. The tipping point was the case of Bárbara Font, a second-year high school student in Madrid with an 8.2 who doesn't know if she will be able to study Psychology. But the focus is on Medicine, where the cutoff score has escalated to 12.22 (which, corrected over 14, equates to a 7.14 out of 10, as some analyses point out).

The grade funnel: more demand, same number of spots

The problem is not new, but it worsens every year. Demand for Medical places grows because the profession is still seen as a ticket to a good salary and job stability. However, the number of public spots does not grow at the same pace. It is argued that medical associations have historically limited supply to maintain status, and that the university system prioritizes lower-cost degrees. The result is that students with brilliant academic records (grades that would have been dreamy three decades ago) are left out.

And the MIR (Spanish residency exam) is not an excellence filter either: it was recalled in the debate that the last spot in the MIR was obtained by someone with only 17% correct answers on the exam. A fact that invites one to ask if the problem is not one of capacity, but of the number of spots.

Importing doctors while exporting students

While young Spaniards hit the 12.22 barrier, regional governments turn to doctors trained in Latin America and other countries to cover deficiencies in the public system. The paradox escapes no one: access for nationals is made difficult while the validation of foreign titles is facilitated. At the same time, a growing trend of Spanish students chooses to study Medicine in Italy (where they only require the IMAT), Romania, or universities in Latin America. Some even consider the "hack" of studying the degree abroad and validating it later in Spain, a path already used for driving licenses.

The closing of the circle is even more ironic: many of those who manage to enter Medicine end up emigrating to countries with better working conditions. So Spain trains elite doctors (those who overcome the barrier) who then leave, while importing others to fill vacant positions.

A system that no one seems willing to fix

Vested interests? Some point out that the lack of spots is not accidental: maintaining scarcity protects the salaries of practicing doctors and covers the importation of professionals, often with more precarious working conditions. Others note that the real problem is the lack of public investment in universities and the rigidity of the numerus clausus system.

The truth is that, as long as regional politicians do not increase public spots and the bar remains set at 12.22, the bleeding will continue. And in the end, the patient going to the Emergency Room will find a doctor trained in Guayaquil or a Spaniard who managed to slip into a private university. The system is as coherent as a diagnosis written with two different prescription pads. Ironies of fate: those who try hardest have to pack their bags to be able to study, and those coming from abroad often do the work that locals no longer want or cannot do. And meanwhile, the 12.22 remains there, like a wall separating those who can afford a private university or a plane ticket from those who cannot.