Briefing
On 18 September 2026 in Madrid, the Spanish central government presented a draft of a new Real Decreto setting stricter quality requirements for university degrees. According to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ’s announcement, each individual subject will in future have to ensure that at least 50 per cent of its teaching staff hold a doctorate The draft also provides that at least 40 per cent of teaching staff on each degree course must have an employment contract on a full-time basis.
According to the government, the measures aim to improve the quality of education and counter the precariousness of academic employment. The draft notes that the current rules require 50 per cent of a university’s teaching staff overall to hold a doctorate, but do not set this requirement for individual degree courses. The new decree is intended to close this gap, so that doctoral-qualified staff are not concentrated in only certain subjects.
Stricter requirements are also planned for In-person teaching “where it is necessary”; according to the government, this applies particularly to practice-oriented fields such as Health professions. The aim is to prevent providers—especially private universities—from exploiting growing demand to offer large-scale online provision where practical components are indispensable. The announcements have so far given no specific percentages for in-person teaching or detailed transition periods.
The draft supplements earlier regulations on the creation and recognition of universities, but remains a national initiative that must be coordinated in subsequent processes with the autonomous communities’ university laws, accreditation bodies and universities. Until it is formally adopted by the Council of Ministers and potentially published in the Official State Gazette, it remains a draft; changes are possible. Open questions concern oversight mechanisms, penalties for breaches and exemptions for arts or dual-degree courses. The government said the requirements were intended to ensure minimum standards, not to restrict universities’ academic autonomy.
Editor: Clara Simonichek (Article created with AI assistance).