The regulation opens the door to three-year degrees within the framework of inter-university alliances and adjusts the duration of visas for foreign students
Congress has given the definitive green light to the Losu, the law that regulates the university system in Spain. Among the new features of the standard is a decided push for the internationalization of Spanish public universities. A process that will be key for these training centers in a future marked, in Spain and in Europe, by the drop in birth rates.
From the outset, the regulation includes a specific chapter dedicated to internationalization which, among other aspects, obliges universities to have internationalization plans and think about strategies to attract international students, both from other countries of the European Union and from non-EU countries.
A novel element contemplated by the law to facilitate this internationalization is the empowerment of alliances between international universities. Within the framework of these alliances, the door is opened to three year degrees, majority in Europe. “It is the gap opened to reverse the suppression of these degrees established by Royal Decree 822/2021 on the organization of university education,” he stresses. Merce Conesa, general director of Barcelona Global, one of the lobis that, in recent years, has been working in defense of this internationalisation. “Maintaining the possibility of 180-credit degrees allows Spanish universities to compete in attracting international students,” adds Conesa. Thus, the three-year degrees, which the royal decree does not contemplate, will be viable if they are part of international inter-university programs.
The law also modifies the duration of visas. If until now international students had to renew their visas every year, the Losu includes an article that contemplates that this visa has the validity of the higher studies that they are studying.
The ‘startups’ law, approved last December, also advanced in this area by making it easier for foreign students who finish their studies in Spain can extend their visas to look for work or do internships for a minimum period of two years, as is already the case in other EU countries. It also contemplated the creation of a website in English to simplify and streamline the entire process of obtaining visas.
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This Thursday, Conesa underlined the progress that these measures incorporated into the Losu represent to attract and retain international talent, one of the primary objectives of Barcelona Global. “Incorporating the concept of internationalization into the university system is very relevant in a context of demographic decline in Europe and demographic increase in China, India or Africa”, Conesa assessed. From Barcelona Global they celebrate that the law eliminates some barriers that made it difficult for international students to incorporate into university degrees.
According to estimates by this entity, it is estimated that in 2030 there will be 10.2 million young people in the world who will study outside their countries of origin. “It is very important that the State wants to position itself as a place that generates talent and have a strategic position for the future,” Conesa celebrated.