Universities that are "not interested" in research, "focused on the most economically performing degrees" and "of poor quality", that is, "chiringuitos" that have no other purpose than to do business, have proliferated in recent years. This is what the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has said, announcing that the decree that aims to put a stop to it is being drafted.

Among other measures, the decree would include: the favorable nature of the report prepared by the Aneca agency that evaluates the quality of the universities; the presence of at least 4,500 students in five years; the representation of three of the five main branches of knowledge in the academic offer; the offer of at least three doctoral programs; the adoption of new measures in the money destined for research; the state character of the online university (which should be approved by the Spanish Congress, not by the parliaments of the communities); and the hardening of the authorizations for the creation of other centers as affiliated universities.

In 2022, the private Euneiz University in Vitoria-Gasteiz, which, in his own words, “specialises in new technologies, sport and health,” was launched into controversy. It has started its third year with just 500 students, the 2024-2025 academic year (4,500 students in five years would be one of the requirements of the new decree). Currently, it offers 11 degrees and five master’s degrees, and one of the requirements of the new decree that is intended to be implemented is not met for the moment, as it does not have a doctoral program in place.

New universities that have emerged from the small door

The former Minister of Universities of the Spanish Government, Manuel Castells, made an attempt to limit private universities with the decree of 2021. The fact is that the law had two main shortcomings: on the one hand, the report for obtaining admission (issued by the Ministry and not by the Aneca agency designated by the new decree) was not binding (yes to the new decree); on the other hand, the law gave the university a period of five years from its creation to adapt to the conditions it established, but once it was created and in operation, offering degrees and studying students, which administration will close the university that it authorized? More than one university has been created in recent years by the Spanish government.

The rise of private universities

There is a growing number of private universities across Europe and experts predict that the trend will continue in the future. In our report published in 2023 in LUZ, we reported that in the Basque Country, around 2010, two out of ten students went to private universities, and in 2023, three out of ten, “and the trend towards private education is on the rise,” said Jon Díaz, a professor at the UPV/EHU. “The numbers of the public university remain the same and those of the private university have increased by 5% annually in the last three or four years.” In Navarre, “the private has always been at the top”, he highlighted: 55% of the students go to the private and 45% to the public; “Opus has a lot of strength”.

In the report, Jon Diaz explained that the interest of universities is in the Masters, where business and money move: “In the last ten years there has been a 21% increase in the offer of private masters in the Spanish State”.