Students at public universities in Spain will have to pay up to 50% more per semester, but ultimately, regional governments will get to decide how to manage government subsidies.
Yesterday in the General Council of University Policy, the Ministry of Education, directed by José Ignacio Wert, met with the majority of regional governments and agreed to increase the real costs of undergraduate tuition by up to 25% and 50% for masters programs. The measure will go into effect the upcoming semester, which begins in September.
Monserrat Gomendio was responsible for communicating the decision. Spain's Secretary of State of Education, Training and Universities, Gomendio explained that tuition rates will rise according to what each regional government needs. Students matriculating for the first time will pay up to 540 euros more. The cost increase for second-year students is from 30% to 40%, between 65% and 75% for third-year students and between 90% and 100% for fourth years. Tuition will be especially costly for those who have to repeat courses.
Until now, students have paid, on average, 15% of total semester costs (around 950 euros on average). The State has covered the rest. But with the measure that the Ministry of Education is proposing, this amount could extend to a fourth of total real costs for each semester, which are on average 6,500 euros.
Gomendio did not specify the maximum amount that each region would need to increase tuition. While she said that the increases will not surpass 60 euros per month for each student, she did not say how these numbers would be calculated. "The numbers need to be looked at closely, because there are many variables," she said. "The Ministry is changing the law, and each region will decide whether to apply it or not," she added. Gomendio assured that there will be no changes to need-based scholarships geared toward qualified students who lack adequate resources to pay for college.
