Mallorca: Court scraps private university decree

Mallorca, Balearic Islands: Spain’s Supreme Court strikes down a private university decree that requires every university to have at least 4,500 students. Balearic education minister Antoni Vera welcomes the ruling in Palma on 8 October 2026, after the regional government challenged the central government’s rules. He says the student minimum ignores the islands’ circumstances and regions with smaller populations.

The decree also requires new universities to provide student accommodation places for ten per cent of their students. Vera argues that this has nothing to do with the quality of a university.

The Balearic Government says the central government did not give Spain’s autonomous communities enough time to object or discuss the decree before approving it. According to Vera, the court also found that the government had not justified its urgency, having failed to consult the university sector conference or the autonomous communities.

The Balearic Government’s challenge cited its powers under the islands’ autonomy statute over university planning and co-ordination, funding, and its own system of scholarships and grants. Vera accepts that the central government can set basic rules, but says the autonomous community must make the necessary regulatory changes.

Topics: Education

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com