If you are thinking of studying at a Spanish university or would like to work in a Spanish-speaking country, the D.E.L.E. are an invaluable, international asset for all students.
The Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (D.E.L.E., ‘Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language’) are the only diplomas for non-native Spanish speakers that are officially recognised by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and to accredit the learner’s degree of fluency of the Spanish language. Furthermore, D.E.L.E. are recognised by private companies, chambers of commerce, and public or private institutions of education worldwide. 
The Instituto Cervantes is the institution in charge of organising the exams, while the University of Salamanca is in charge of the preparation, correction and final evaluation of all the tests.

Since 2005 the internationally most recognised and important Spanish companies (Telefónica, Endesa, Repsol YPF, Grupo Santander, Fundación MAPFRE, Prosegur y Grupo Calvo) accepted the D.E.L.E. as accredited Spanish language certificates in their personnel selection process for applicants whose native language is not Spanish.

Participants need to pass standardised tests, which exist in three levels, to prove their Spanish language proficiency:
 

 

All the tests consist of 4 or 5 different parts with varying length, depending on the level you have chosen: Reading comprehension, Writing, Listening comprehension, Grammar and vocabulary test, and Conversation.

 

 

Although you can do the D.E.L.E. exam in more than 90 different countries worldwide, because of practical advantages most students take it in Spain. The prices for the D.E.L.E. examination do also vary significantly (prices 2010):
 

 

Many language institutes have specialised in offering D.E.L.E. Preparation courses. If you are looking for a school that offers these courses, select ‘DELE Preparation course’ in the drop-down ‘Select course’ menu on our ‘Search language schools’ site or compare prices and offers by selecting ‘DELE Preparation course’ in the drop-down ‘Select course’ menu on our ‘Compare language schools’ site; or contact us directly with any further questions.

Further information can also be found on the official website: Cervantes and DELE exams, or on the DELE website: DELE Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language.