Spain to require private universities to provide student housing

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The Spanish government will issue a decree requiring newly established private universities to offer housing options for their students, according to a Spanish daily.

This measure is part of a protocol signed by the ministries of housing, economy, and universities to address the housing crisis for students and university staff, El Diario reported on Wednesday.

While the rule applies to all new institutions, the report said public universities are excluded as no new ones have been established in the past 25 years, and no future openings are planned.

"We will include this mandate in the update of the Royal Decree on the creation of university centers," Minister of Universities Diana Morant said in the report, adding that the aim is to "raise the minimum standards that define a university."

The protocol also encourages the development of affordable housing for students and staff on public land in areas where rental prices are particularly high.

"We have reached necessary agreements to ensure that new universities offer housing solutions for their students as a requirement for their establishment," the document said, according to the report.