Spain's Sánchez proposes quality crackdown on private distance-learning degrees
New decree would require health degrees to be in-person only and mandate 50% of faculty hold PhDs across all programs.
What to know
- Spanish President Sánchez proposes decree mandating that health-related degrees be taught in person only and requiring 50% of faculty hold doctorates across all university programs.
- Private university enrollment has grown rapidly over the past decade while public capacity stalled; private health sciences enrollment doubled while public remained flat.
- The decree targets what Sánchez calls "chiringuito universities"—institutions offering low-quality distance-learning degrees to exploit unmet demand.
- Decree must be fast-tracked through parliament to pass before 2027 elections; currently 49 private universities are approaching parity with 50 public institutions in number.
Pedro Sánchez Spanish PresidentPrivate universities in Spain Regulatory target
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage posts
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background
Private university enrollment in health sciences nearly doubled over decade — In health-related fields, private sector enrollment doubled from 50,000 to 101,200 students between 2015 and 2025, while public sector enrollment remained flat at around 188,400 to 189,300. The private sector currently lags public universities in doctoral faculty (58.3% versus 75.5%) but is accelerating hiring of PhD-holding faculty.
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background
Government targets dual-modal health degrees like Psychology and Pharmacy — While Medicine, Veterinary Science, and Nursing are already taught only in person, other health-related programs such as Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, and Sports Sciences are currently offered in hybrid or fully online formats. These programs would be required to convert to presential-only instruction if included in the final regulation.
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Sánchez announces decree requiring presential health degrees and 50% doctoral faculty
President Pedro Sánchez announced a new decree at the Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas in Madrid targeting private universities offering questionable distance-learning degrees. The decree establishes that most health-related programs must be taught exclusively in person and that 50% of faculty across all programs must hold doctorates, with 40% on full-time contracts.
“Una universidad no puede ser un chiringuito, un expendedor de títulos. Tiene que ofrecer docencia de calidad, investigación rigurosa.”
— Pedro Sánchez -
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🔴 El Gobierno emprende una batalla contra titulaciones privadas a distancia “cuestionables”: la mayoría de las carreras sanitarias deberán ser estrictamente presenciales y el 50% de los profesores de cualquier titulación tendrán que ser doctores
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