A private business school offers university degrees in Mallorca

PalmThe Eserp business school—the company is based in Palma and has been offering advanced vocational training cycles and master's degrees for over twenty years—also wants to offer university degrees as an affiliated center of the University of Vic (UVic). "We received word of their desire to expand their educational offerings in the Balearic Islands, and we became interested," explains Xisco Enseñat Bibiloni, the center's general manager, who hails from Mallorca. According to Enseñat, the project is still in its very early stages. "We want everything to go smoothly with the relevant authorities, because implementing university law requires consensus and extensive dialogue. We are in contact with all parties involved," he adds. The director emphasizes that the historical relationship with both the University of Vic and the UIB has always been very positive, based on institutional respect.

The initial proposal, still pending the finalization of the exact degree titles, includes degrees in management and marketing, in a bilingual context of Spanish and English, while also incorporating Catalan. "We have our own language, but the Balearic economy is also focused on exports," he points out.

The director emphasizes that, despite being a private institution, it is part of a regulated sector, with a philosophy of putting the student at the center and guaranteeing academic quality and job placement. "We want to train people and prepare them for the job market, and create a social, institutional, and business meeting point," he adds. The project also aims to promote research as part of academic activity. "University quality is a red line set for us by the University of Vic," Enseñat stresses.

Island Exodus

Enseñat recalls leaving to study abroad and never returning, an experience shared by many young people from the Balearic Islands who, due to a lack of educational opportunities in certain disciplines, are forced to leave the region to continue their studies. He explains that one of the project's central objectives is precisely to help reverse this trend by offering educational options here so that young people from the Balearic Islands can study without having to leave and, above all, can stay and develop their education and professional careers within the community. This, in turn, strengthens local talent and the social and economic fabric of the region. Eserp has already submitted the necessary documentation to guarantee academic quality, under the supervision of the University of Vic, which is particularly demanding in this regard. "We're taking it step by step; we want an agreement among all parties and for the entire process to be collaborative," Enseñat affirms. With this initiative, Eserp aims to consolidate itself as a high-quality university project, committed to students and the local community, while maintaining the academic standards and rigor that characterize the University of Vic.

Other private initiatives at much more advanced stages include CEU San Pablo, which plans to establish itself through its affiliated center, Beato Luis Belda, with an initial offering of degrees in Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Psychology, later expanding to include Pharmacy and Dentistry. Meanwhile, the Felipe Moreno University School of Tourism plans to offer Nursing as an affiliated center of the Antonio de Nebrija University, while ADEMA, currently affiliated with the UIB, has applied to become an independent university under the name University of Mallorca and plans to add up to eleven new degree programs not currently offered. These projects, along with Eserp's, are part of a new wave of private centers seeking to expand university offerings in the Balearic Islands, a trend that has already reached the rest of Spain.