Prepare online for the Diploma Salamanca, with the official DELE as your goal

The name Diploma Salamanca, or Salamanca exam, appears mainly in German-speaking countries. Language schools and distance-learning providers there use it for the DELE (Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera), the official Spanish diploma of the Spanish state. One example is a German distance course in Spanish that carries the name Diploma Salamanca and prepares learners for DELE B2.

The name has a factual background. The University of Salamanca, through its department for Spanish as a foreign language called Cursos Internacionales, says it has developed the DELE exam papers and marked the written parts since 1991. That is why many learners still link the diploma with the city. The University of Salamanca is one of the oldest universities in Europe, and its name stands for Spanish as a foreign language across the Spanish-speaking world. For course providers, the name is therefore a familiar label, even though it does not appear on the official document.

The diploma itself is issued by the Instituto Cervantes, Spain's public institution for promoting the Spanish language. Since Royal Decree 1137/2002, the Instituto Cervantes has been responsible for the exams, the administration and the finances of the diplomas, and it issues them on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education.

The Instituto Cervantes has handed two tasks to the University of Salamanca. The university develops the DELE exam materials according to the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference with its levels A1 to C2. It also marks the exams from all sessions that the Instituto Cervantes holds worldwide. According to the university, this work is done by teachers who specialise in applied linguistics, test development and psychometrics, the statistical checking of test items.

Two independent, accredited examiners mark the written texts, and the average counts. The exam guides of the Instituto Cervantes describe this procedure. Both institutions aligned the DELE exams with the CEFR and with the standards of ALTE. ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) is an association of European exam providers with shared quality rules.

The division of work serves both sides. The Instituto Cervantes gains the expertise of a university that has taught Spanish as a foreign language for decades. The university strengthens its profile in the field and is also an exam centre for the DELE, the SIELE and the CCSE citizenship test. Its Cursos Internacionales department also offers Spanish courses on site and online, including DELE preparation.

The University of Salamanca is involved in three Spanish exams. Each has a different structure and a different validity.

The DELE tests exactly one level of the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference, and ends with APTO (pass) or NO APTO (fail). The SIELE (Servicio Internacional de Evaluación de la Lengua Española) places every candidate on a points scale. USAL esPro was developed by the university together with the exam provider LanguageCert. The USAL esPro website was in maintenance mode in October 2026, so check whether the test is available before you register.

The DELE, the official Spanish diploma, comes in six levels from A1 to C2 and in three school versions for ages 11 to 17. Each level is a separate exam, and you can register for it without a lower diploma.

At levels A1 to C1, the four parts form two groups. Group 1 covers reading and writing, and group 2 covers listening and speaking. You need at least 30 out of 50 points in each group. DELE C2 has three parts, and you need at least 20 points in each.

The DELE takes place on fixed dates that the Instituto Cervantes sets worldwide. For 2027 it lists seven dates for the general levels, and all six levels are offered only in May and November. The exam centre may schedule the speaking part on the day before or after the written exam.

In Spain the DELE costs between 138 euros for A2 and 240 euros for C2 in 2026. Results arrive after about two to three months. The results certificate carries an electronic signature and a verification code that universities and employers use to check it.

The SIELE (Servicio Internacional de Evaluación de la Lengua Española) is a digital Spanish exam. It is backed by the Instituto Cervantes, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of Salamanca and the University of Buenos Aires. The four founders guarantee quality standards and represent the different varieties of Spanish.

SIELE Global tests reading, listening, writing and speaking. Each part is worth 0 to 250 points, so up to 1,000 in total. The result links each part to a level of the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference, from A1 to C1. You cannot fail, because you always receive a level.

You choose the day, time and place yourself, according to siele.org at more than 1,000 centres in more than 85 countries. Besides SIELE Global there are five partial exams. S1 combines reading and listening, S2 reading and writing, S3 listening and speaking, S4 speaking only and S5 writing and speaking. Instead of a certificate you then receive a report with the levels of the skills tested. The University of Salamanca offers its own preparation course for S1 to S5 at levels A1 to B1 for 150 euros. For goals from B2 upwards with proof that never expires, the DELE remains the closer fit.

A course called Diploma Salamanca prepares you for the DELE, the official Spanish diploma. You sit the exam itself separately at an exam centre. These signs show whether a provider keeps the two apart.

1. The provider names the official exam, the DELE, and the target level, for example B2.
2. It clearly separates its own course certificate from the official diploma of the Instituto Cervantes.
3. It lists the exam fee separately. You pay that fee to the exam centre, not to the course provider.
4. A distance course sold in Germany carries an approval number from the ZFU (Staatliche Zentralstelle für Fernunterricht), the authority that checks paid distance courses before they may be sold. In other countries, look for the equivalent accreditation.
5. The course practises with the official model exams of the Instituto Cervantes and offers at least one simulation of the speaking test.
6. The materials follow the current format, which at C1 includes mediation, the clear passing on of content to others.

How long DELE preparation takes depends mainly on your starting level. The values in the table are planning ranges, not official requirements.

A German distance course called Diploma Salamanca plans 15 months at about 12 hours of study a week to reach B2. The University of Salamanca offers its own online Spanish course from A2 to C1 that you work through without fixed dates or timetables.

If you need the diploma for university in Spain, combine DELE C1 preparation with a course in academic writing in Spanish. If you need it for work, add a business Spanish course. Both train text types that also appear in the DELE writing part, such as reports, opinion pieces and formal emails.

Five assumptions about the Diploma Salamanca, meaning the DELE, are not correct.

1. The University of Salamanca issues the diploma. The Instituto Cervantes issues it on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education.
2. You have to travel to Salamanca for the exam. You sit the DELE at recognised exam centres in many countries, and Salamanca is just one of them.
3. The diploma expires after a few years. The DELE diploma never expires, and only the SIELE result lapses after five years.
4. A distance course certificate is the diploma. The course certificate confirms the course, and you only receive the state diploma by passing the DELE.
5. There is a special Salamanca level. DELE levels follow the CEFR from A1 to C2, without any special levels.

The institution that asks for proof decides which of the two certificates suits you. The table shows typical goals.

If you want proof of Spanish for many years, choose the DELE, because the diploma never expires. If you need a result quickly, check in advance whether the university or employer accepts the SIELE.

Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries do not need the DELE for Spanish citizenship. Spain still requires the CCSE culture test from them. The Instituto Cervantes runs both exams, and the University of Salamanca is one of the centres for them.