A halt to the free bar for private universities: they will only be able to open with a favorable quality report.
Some communities have given the green light to new centers even though they did not meet the criteria required by the State.
In front of the rise of new private university centers In recent years, some of which do not meet the quality criteria required by the Spanish government, the Council of Ministers approved this Tuesday the modification of the decree that toughens the criteria for the creation, recognition, and authorization of new universities. Spanish President Pedro Sánchez warned last March that he would put an end to the free bar of "university beach bars that do not meet the standard that should be required of higher education, and which she said operate as "academies" and as "a degree-selling machine" endorsed by some regional governments. Thus, from now on, the communities that want to authorize the creation of a university issued by ANECA (the state quality agency, which depends on the Spanish government) or by equivalent regional agencies, as is the case of AQU Catalunya. and Universities, Diana Morant, there was a quality report prepared by technicians from her ministry that was mandatory, but not binding. Andalusia and the Canary Islands have also moved forward with centers, despite the unfavorable response from experts. Canary Islands. In addition, there are also five other projects in process without a favorable report: two in Madrid, one in the Canary Islands and, amending some conditions, it may be favorable in Extremadura. collected some of the allegations raised by the Generalitat.
According to the report Key facts about the Spanish university system, presented by Morant, since 2005, 24 private universities have been created from scratch in the Spanish state, with the majority of public universities having almost equaled the number of publicly owned universities (46 and 50, respectively). "But, beyond the number of universities, the most striking thing is the increase in the number of students in private universities and the stagnation in public universities: in the last decade, public universities have barely grown (2%), while private universities have grown by 129%," Morant reported. Currently, according to the study, 30% of students study at private universities. "Ten years ago, it was only 15%, and twenty years ago, 10%," the minister explained.
This growth is especially intense in high-demand or qualifying degrees, such as in health sciences, where a third of the bachelor's degrees offered and 62% of master's degrees are offered at private universities. In fact, Spain is breaking a record for university students, with 1.9 million students in the 2025-2026 academic year, but the minister emphasized that this growth is being absorbed almost exclusively by private universities.
"Although the first option is still to enroll in a public institution, they do not have enough places to offer due to underfunding at the regional level," she said, after criticizing the fact that regional governments like Madrid's "absolutely mistreat" public institutions, with 25% less funding than the national average, and are "suffocating" them. According to Morant, this is causing cut-off marks to rise and, in turn, preventing even those with outstanding academic records from accessing certain programs at public institutions. "That is, they will be able to study or not depending on whether their family can afford it," he complained.
Seven new requirements
The amendment to the decree, initiated in 2021 by then-Minister Manuel Castells, will allow for decisions "on whether an institution can be called a university or not, depending on whether it fulfills all the required functions," Morant argued. According to this regulation, universities will now also have to invest 5% of their budget in research and attract competitive funding equivalent to 2%. Regarding the quality criteria for faculty, the decree establishes that 50% must have doctorates and at least 60% must have proven research experience. Furthermore, the management team must have "verifiable experience" in university management.
Morant also indicated that universities will have to offer a minimum of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in at least three branches of knowledge, which will also require a minimum of 4,500 students. In this regard, newly created institutions must demonstrate financial solvency through a guarantee. "We don't want any student to be left behind due to the lack of economic viability of a university designed solely as a business," the minister insisted.
Finally, Morant explained that new universities will have to offer accommodation spaces equivalent to 10% of their student body. "The goal is to facilitate the territorial mobility of students who so desire, in the face of the growing barriers associated with the limited supply of rental housing and the sharp rise in prices," conclude sources from the Moncloa (Ministry of Economy and Finance). Universities must annually provide the Integrated University Information System (SIIU) with detailed information on their compliance with all these requirements.