Higher education institutions are classified according to whether they organise university or non-university provision. Within the latter, a distinction can be made between the centres that provide advanced vocational training cycles and those that provide specialised education.

University education

University education is provided by universities, which may be public or private.

The creation of public universities and the recognition of private universities is carried out, as established in article 4 of Organic Law 2/2023 on the University System (LOSU), by means of one of these options:

• by an act passed by the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Community where the institution will be located;
• by an act approved by the Spanish Parliament, at the proposal of the Government, in accordance with the Government Council of the autonomous community where they are to be established, in the case of universities with special characteristics, such as UNED (National Distance Learning University), Menéndez Pelayo International University; and with a mandatory report from the General Assembly for University Policy.

In the case of these universities with special characteristics, the actions are undertaken with the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities rather than with the Autonomous Communities.   

Public universities

Public universities are integrated by university schools, faculties, departments, university institutes for research, doctoral colleges and by other schools or structures necessary for the development of their functions.

University schools and faculties

University schools and faculties are the institutions responsible for the organisation of their studies and in charge of the academic, administrative and management processes that lead to the conferment of the different university degrees.

Their creation, modification and withdrawal, as well as the implementation and withdrawal of studies leading to the award of an official university degree and which is valid nationwide is agreed by the Autonomous Community to which the university belongs either through the Autonomous Community's initiative with the agreement of the Government Council of the university, or through the university's own initiative through a proposal of the Government Council. In both cases the previous favourable report by the University Social Council is required.

Departments

Departments are the teaching and research units in charge of:

• coordinating studies of one or more fields of knowledge in one or more university centres according to the teaching programme of the university;
• supporting teaching and research activities and initiatives of the teaching staff;
• performing all other duties determind by their statutes.

The establishment, modification and withdrawal of departments correspond to the university, according to their statutes.

Research university institutes

University research institutes are centres for scientific and technical research or artistic creation. They may also organise and develop doctoral and postgraduate programmes and studies, and provide technical advice within the scope of their competences.

Their creation and suppression is governed by the same principles as those applicable to university schools and faculties. It must be something agreed by the Autonomous Community to which the university belongs either through the Autonomous Community's initiative with the agreement of the Government Council of the university, or through the university's own initiative through a proposal of the Government Council. In both cases the previous favourable report by the University Social Council is required.

Taking the above into account, they can be set up by one or more universities, or jointly with other public or private organisations by means of collaboration agreements or other means of cooperation, in accordance with their statutes.

Furthermore, universities can create Joint Research Institutes, in cooperation with other public research bodies, with the National Health Service and with public or private non-profit research centres, promoted and participated in by a public administration.

On the other hand, by means of an agreement, the law allows for their affiliation to public universities, as university research institutes, of public or private research institutions or centres. The approval of such affiliation or, as the case may be, withdrawal of affiliation, is the responsibility of the autonomous community, through the same process described above.

Doctoral colleges

The main objective of doctoral colleges is to organise, within their sphere of management,  PhD programmes into one or more interdisciplinary knowledge branches. Also, in accordance with the provisions of the statutes of each university and the regulations of the corresponding autonomous community, they may include official master's degree courses with a fundamentally scientific content, as well as other open research training activities.

These colleges may be created by one or more universities, or in possible individual or joint collaboration between universities and other national and international entities which carry out R&D&i activities.

Public or private associated centres

The purpose of publicly or privately owned associated centres is to offer studies leading to the award of official degrees that are valid throughout the national territory.

The association is established by means of an agreement that has to be approved by the Autonomous Community: if the association is to a public university, it is done at the proposal of the Governing Council of the university, subject to a favourable report from its Social Council; if the association is to a private university, it is done at the proposal of the university.

They must be established within the territorial scope of the relevant Autonomous Community or count with the approval of the Autonomous Community where they are located. They must comply with the rules of the State and the Autonomous Communities, in the exercise of their respective powers, the joining agreement and their own organisational and operational rules.

Private universities and university institutions

Any individual or legal entity, in compliance with constitutional principles and subject to state and regional regulations, may establish a private university or private university institution. However, those who provide services in an educational administration, or those who have a criminal record for fraudulent offences or who have received a final administrative sanction for a serious offence in educational or professional matters will not be able to exercise this right. With regard to legal entities, these disqualifying circumstances apply to:

• administrators, representatives or directors, while their representation or designation is in force;
• founders, promoters or holders of 20 % or more of their capital, either themselves or through an intermediary.

University private centres must be integrated into a private university as centres belonging to such university or they must be ascribed to a public or private university.

Private universities elaborate and approve their own organisation and functioning regulations, which must respect and guarantee, through a broad participation of the university community, the academic freedom manifested in the academic, research and study freedom. In addition, they must be governed by the LOSU and the regulations issued by the State and the Autonomous Communities, in the exercise of their respective competences.

In order to guarantee the quality of universities and university centres, a series of requirements are established, which both existing universities and newly created ones must comply with. Besides, the Autonomous Communities establish their own specific requirements within their territory.

Both public and private universities, together with university institutions, must be registered in the Register of Universities, Centres and Qualifications (RUCT), which is nowadays under the responsibility of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. 

The data for the academic year 2023-2024 show that the Spanish university system comprises 91 universities

• 50 public universities: 47 offering on-site teaching and 1 distance teaching. In addition, there are 2 public universities with a special status that only provide specialised postgraduate programmes (Master’s and PhD);
• 41 private universities: 35 offering on-site teaching and 6 distance teaching.

Source: Statistics from the Integrated University Information System (SIIU) on the number of  active universities by type and modality of university. General Secretariat for Universities.

Non university Education

Advanced vocational training

Higher level vocational training can be studied in:

• public institutions (e.g. secondary schools, which may also provide compulsory secondary education and bachillerato studies) and private institutions authorised by the competent public administration;
• national reference institutions, under the conditions and for the purposes established in Royal Decree 229/2008;
• integrated vocational training institutions, according to the provisions in article  78 of Organic Law 3/2022 on the Organisation and Integration of Vocational Training, and Royal Decree 1558/2005.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, there were 2 754 schools in the whole country providing on-site advanced vocational training, of which 1 813 were public schools, 345 publicly-funded private schools, and 596 private schools. As for distance advanced vocational training, it was provided by 498 centres, of which 242 are public and 256 private. Some centres offer both on-site and distance learning for higher vocational training programmes. Source: Statistics from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports on the number of centres that provide each type of education.

Registration or enrolment in the training offer can be completed either on-site or online.

Artistic education: Advanced plastic arts and design professional studies

These studies can be pursued in:

• public institutions: art schools;
• private institutions (both publicly funded and with no public funding whatsoever): authorised centres for professional artistic education in plastic arts and design.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, there were 122 schools in the whole country providing advanced professional studies in plastic arts and design, of which 99 were public schools, and 23 private schools. Source: Statistics from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports on the number of centres that provide each type of education.

The educational administrations are also responsible for establishing, as a general rule, the number of classrooms required for each school place, in accordance with the curriculum they define.

These educational institutions must comply with the general requirements for facilities set out in article 3 dof Royal Decree 303/2010 and, in turn, must comply with the specific requirements applicable to them as listed in Chapters III and V of Title II of Royal Decree 303/2010.

Artistic Education: Advanced Artistic Education

The type of studies pursued determines the centres in which advanced artistic studies are taught: The public centres that offer these studies are given the following generic names:

• higher music conservatories or higher music schools;
• higher dance conservatories or higher dance schools;
• higher performing arts schools;
• higher schools of reservation and restoration of cultural assets;
• higher design schools;
• higher schools of the corresponding speciality when they provide higher studies in the plastic arts field.

It is then the responsibility of the education administrations to determine the name of those public institutions that offer higher education programmes combined in a different way to the above.

Besides, each autonomous community may agree with the universities in its territorial area formulas of collaboration for this type of studies.

In turn, the educational administrations may associate, by means of an agreement, advanced artistic education institutions to universities and establish procedures to favour autonomy and facilitate the organisation and management of conservatories and higher schools. They must also promote agreements with universities for the organisation of doctoral studies.

Along those same lines, advanced artistic education institutions should promote research programmes in their own disciplines.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, the following institutions were accounted for throughout Spain:

• 38 institutions providing higher education in music, of which 22 were public and 16 were private;
• 7 institutions providing higher education in dance, of which 6 were public and 1 was private;
• 19 institutions providing higher education in performing arts, of which 12 were public and 7 were private;
• 10 institutions providing higher education in conservation and restoration of property, all of which were public;
• 53 institutions providing higher education in design, of which 35 were public and 18 were private;
• 2 institutions offering higher education in plastic arts, both of which were public.

Source: Statistics from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports on the number of centres that provide each type of education.

These educational institutions must comply with the general requirements for facilities set out in article 3 of Royal Decree 303/2010 and, in turn, each specific programme must comply with the specific requirements applicable to them as listed in Chapters I to VII of Title III of Royal Decree 303/2010.

Advanced vocational education in sports

Advanced level sports education is provided in:

• public or private training centres, authorised by the relevant educational administration;
• integrated vocational training centres, which must comply with the requirements established by the regulation governing the qualifications and minimum teaching standards of the corresponding modality or speciality;
• national reference centres specialised in the sports sector, in accordance with the provisions in article 45.1.c of Royal Decree 1363/2007;
• teaching centres of the military education system, by virtue of the agreements established between the Ministries of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFD) and Defence.

Exceptionally, the educational administrations may authorise centres promoted by Spanish sports federations for the specific block of certain cycles of sports education, as long as the offer of the entire programme is guaranteed by means of an agreement with another centre, in accordance with the provisions of the first additional provision of Royal Decree 1363/2007.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, there were 57 schools in the whole country providing advanced professional sport studies, of which 23 were public schools, and 34 private schools. Source: Statistics from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports on the number of centres that provide each type of education.

All the institutions must comply with the requirements established by the regulation governing the qualifications and minimum teaching standards of each modality or speciality.