Overview

• The Council of Ministers is set to pass the reform today, with the rules taking effect in late October after publication in the BOE.
• All new campuses—public or private, in person or online—must obtain a favorable, binding report from ANECA or a regional agency, and virtual universities will require parliamentary recognition with specified exceptions.
• Each university must span three knowledge areas and offer at least 10 bachelor’s degrees, six master’s and three doctoral programs.
• Institutions must reach 4,500 students within six years and employ roughly 380–500 faculty, with at least half holding doctorates and most of those meeting the research sexenio requirement within seven years.
• Promoters must provide a solvency guarantee equal to the third-year budget, allocate 5% of spending to research, and provide student housing equivalent to 10% of enrollment within three years; existing universities are subject to the standards with adaptation periods where needed.