How Spanish universities are organized, governed and quality-checked

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1. Universities provide the public service of higher education through research, teaching and study. Their functions include creating and transmitting science and culture, preparing students for professional careers and spreading knowledge to society.
2. Universities have autonomy: they draft their own Statutes, choose their governing bodies, approve their study plans, manage their budget and select their staff. In return, they must account to society for how they use their resources.
3. Public universities are governed by a Social Council (which connects the university with society and oversees its economic activity), a Governing Council, a University Senate and a Rector elected by universal suffrage of the university community.
4. The University Coordination Council is created as the top advisory and coordination body of the university system, bringing together the State, the Autonomous Communities and the Rectors. It is chaired by the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport.
5. The National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation is created. It independently evaluates teaching programs, research, teaching activity, management and university services to guarantee their quality.
6. To become a civil servant professor at a public university, candidates must first pass a national accreditation: public, elimination-round exams called by the University Coordination Council. After that, each university selects accredited candidates through access competitions.
7. Access to university requires a bachelor's degree (bachiller) or equivalent. The State sets up a general system of scholarships and study grants so that no one is excluded for economic reasons, and students have recognized rights such as equal opportunities and freedom of expression at university.
8. Public universities have economic and financial autonomy: they approve their budget, manage their assets and can create foundations or companies to pursue their goals, always accounting to the audit body of their Autonomous Community.

Who it affects

• Students: It regulates university access, their rights and duties, scholarships and study grants, and Social Security coverage.
• Professors and researchers: It sets how teaching staff are hired, the available contract types, and the national accreditation and competition system to become a civil servant professor.
• Administration and services staff: It establishes selection through exams based on equality, merit and ability, and their participation in governing bodies.
• Public and private universities: It defines how they are created, recognized and organized, and the quality and evaluation requirements they must meet.
• Autonomous Communities and the State: It divides powers over coordination, funding, salaries and evaluation of the university system.

Words worth knowing

Estatutos (Statutes)

The basic internal rules of each university, organizing how it works and its governing bodies.

Habilitación nacional (national accreditation)

Official exams that must be passed before applying for a civil servant professor position at a university.

Consejo Social (Social Council)

A body at each university where members of society (not the academic community) oversee its economic activity and its relations with the surrounding community.

Concurso de acceso (access competition)

The selection process by which a university chooses, among accredited candidates, who fills a civil servant teaching position.

Homologación (official approval)

Official recognition that a study plan or degree meets the required legal and quality standards.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries