This academic year, private vocational colleges in Andalusia received a record number of student enrollment permits. Regional authorities approved 9,450 places for them, almost four times more than in public institutions, which offer only 2,588 places. At the same time, no new publicly funded courses were launched.
This imbalance in favor of the private sector is not new, but in the past year the situation has intensified significantly. Since the appointment of the new head of the education department, the number of permits for private colleges has reached an all-time high. Private institutions now offer several times more places than public ones, and this gap continues to widen.
Education experts are sounding the alarm: this trend could lead to increased inequality. Private colleges are focusing on the most profitable areas—healthcare, IT, and sports—where tuition fees reach 4,000 to 6,000 euros per year. Over the past 13 years, the number of places in private colleges has increased nearly tenfold, while in public institutions it has grown by only 51%.
As a result, many high school graduates who fail to secure a place in public colleges are forced either to pay for private education or to give up further studies altogether. Last year, around 30,000 applicants were left without a place in public institutions. Authorities claim that the situation with seat allocation is improving, but do not provide exact figures on the number of refusals.
According to inspectors, grades in private colleges are often inflated, and almost all graduates receive diplomas. This creates the illusion of an easy path to higher education, especially when compared to public colleges, where student requirements are stricter. Online courses at private colleges are hardly monitored, and inspections are carried out selectively and not always thoroughly.
At the same time, the publication of licenses for private colleges in official bulletins is not accompanied by additional government oversight. Companies themselves decide when and how to pay the required fees, raising questions about the transparency of the process.
Representatives of private colleges admit that access to the best programs primarily goes to those who can afford it. Meanwhile, unions point out that many families are forced to take out loans for their children’s education, and the system is becoming increasingly elitist. As a result, private colleges continue to grow, while the public sector is losing ground.
