Castilla-La Mancha adapts the university entrance exam to the state decree

The Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha publishes this Thursday, November 5, 2026, Order 153/2026, of October 27, from the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports, which modifies the regulation governing the development of the university entrance exam in the region. The new wording changes the method for calculating the average grade for students graduated in Vocational Training, Plastic Arts and Design, and sports education, and specifies the criteria for applying adaptations in the exam. The text appears in Section I, General Provisions, of issue number 212 of the regional bulletin, with the official reference 2026/7870.

The order modifies Order 198/2024, of November 26, which since its publication in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha on December 2, 2024, implemented in the autonomous community Royal Decree 534/2024, of June 11, published in the Official State Gazette on June 12, 2024, which regulates the access requirements for official university undergraduate degrees, the basic characteristics of the exam, and the basic regulations for admission procedures.

The reason for the change is subsequent: Royal Decree 534/2024 was modified by Royal Decree 535/2026, of June 30, which also altered the organization of Higher Sports Technician degrees, and Royal Decree 243/2022, of April 5, which establishes the organization and minimum teachings of the Bachillerato. The preamble of the regional order explains that this state modification necessitates readjusting the Castilla-La Mancha regulation to maintain system coherence.

The average grade for VT, Arts, and Sports

The first change affects section 5 of article 4 of Order 198/2024. Those in possession of any of the degrees listed below will have as their access grade the average grade obtained in the corresponding teachings:

• Higher Vocational Training Technician.
• Higher Plastic Arts and Design Technician.
• Higher Sports Technician.

This average grade must be calculated according to the provisions established in the respective royal decrees organizing each teaching, and not according to the previous criterion. The order also incorporates a specific rule for those accessing without an average grade: students who lack one because they have obtained the homologation or declaration of equivalence for academic purposes of other studies with the aforementioned degrees will be assigned a grade of 5 points as an access qualification.

Exam adaptations and guidance services

The second block rewrites section 2 of article 17, regarding the adaptation measures of the test for students who require them. The determination of these measures will be carried out, where applicable, based on the educational support measures or adaptations applied to the student in the previous educational stage, and the guidance services will provide the required reports and guidelines for action.

Processing, opinion, and entry into force

The regulation is approved with the organic structure established by Decree 108/2023, of July 25, and under the authority of article 23.2.c of Law 11/2003, of September 25, of the Government and the Consultative Council of Castilla-La Mancha. During the processing, the opinion of the School Council of Castilla-La Mancha was obtained, and the text invokes compliance with the principles of good regulation of article 129 of Law 39/2015, of October 1.

• Publication of the order: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha no. 212, November 5, 2026, pp. 39168-39169.
• Signature of the counselor: Amador Pastor Noheda, in Toledo, on October 27, 2026.
• Entry into force: 20 days after its full publication, that is, November 25, 2026.
• Modified regulation: Order 198/2024, of November 26.

The adaptation arrives before the next call for the access test is configured, so that Baccalaureate and Vocational Training students will know in advance with what average grade they are competing for a university place. For the families of those enrolled in training cycles, Plastic Arts and Design, or sports education, the change eliminates uncertainty regarding the calculation criteria for the access grade; for students with specific support needs, the order transfers the measures already applied in the previous stage to the exam.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 212, November 5, 2026, I. General Provisions, pp. 39168-39169 (official reference: 2026/7870).