The private medical school assures that it will prioritize resident students and already has internship agreements with IB-Salut.

PalmThe Beato Luis Belda University Center, affiliated with CEU San Pablo University, has stated that it will give priority access to students residing in the Balearic Islands, who are expected to obtain higher points in the selection process. However, the measure will only be applied if it is finally implemented in Mallorca: the project is subject to obtaining favorable reports on the quality of the study plans, verification of degrees by the Council of Universities, and final approval by the Government. It has not yet been specified how residency in the Islands will be assessed. Meanwhile, CEU is already working on several options to house students from abroad. It is considering building its own residence hall that would operate as a College of Residence, a plan that already includes three possible locations in Palma, but does not provide further details. During the first year of operation, apartments and residential alternatives would be used to house those who require it, which is estimated to be 30% of the students.

Luis Belda plans to open its doors in the 2026-2027 academic year in the former Riskal building in Palma, where a €40 million investment will be made, including the acquisition (already completed in June) and the adaptation of the space for university activities. It will have capacity for around 2,000 students and will initially offer four degrees: Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Psychology. The following year, Pharmacy and Dentistry will be launched. It is estimated that between 200 and 300 students will be enrolled in the different degrees in the first year, and that around 30 teachers will be needed, for whom the selection process has already begun through contact with professional associations.

The CEU has signed agreements with the Juaneda group and, as reported, also with the Primary Care program at IB-Salut, so that students can complete internships. Along the same lines, it is considering collaborations with public hospitals, according to Rosa Visedo, rector of CEU San Pablo. In the medium term, the San Pablo CEU University Foundation intends to progressively expand its academic offerings in Mallorca, both with healthcare degrees and other branches. "What we are seeking with Pharmacy in the Balearic Islands is also to research and contribute to an emerging industry in the Balearic Islands," explains Javier Tello, the Foundation's general director.

Pending the UIB

Regarding agreements with public university hospitals, it is important to remember that, as reported by the PSIB, Royal Decree 1558/1986 establishes that a university hospital cannot be bound by agreement with more than one university to teach the same degree, except in exceptional cases. This places the UIB as a key player, at least with regard to the Son Espases and Son Llàtzer hospitals. The UIB, according to the CEU, has expressed its willingness to collaborate with academic and research projects, although the extent of this link and the extent to which the UIB would be willing to give ground at a time when the implementation of Adema (as an autonomous university or affiliated with the Felipe Moreno University) at Nebrija University to teach Nursing is also underway.

Rector Visedo assures that the new center aims to comply with all the research requirements established by the new ministerial decree for the creation and authorization of university centers, approved at the beginning of October to address the proliferation of private centers, many of them on-line, with dubious academic and research quality. Despite specifying that the regulation does not affect the CEU project in Mallorca, as it is an affiliation and not a new university, he also laments the criticism leveled at private universities, and CEU San Pablo in particular, following the controversies surrounding its administrative processing and the alleged privileged information it allegedly received from the government through the decree on strategic projects during its time in force (just over a week). "When people say we're a sham or that we're breaking the social ladder, it hurts the entire university system," says Visedo.

He asserts that the Foundation will offer scholarships and grants for students with fewer resources, with the aim of ensuring that no student drops out of school due to an unexpected financial situation. This year, €25 million has been allocated to grants across Spain, reaching 7,000 university students.

Clinical Simulations

The Beato Luis Belda Hospital will feature a simulation hospital that will allow students to practice with realistic physical avatars, which they will be able to diagnose, operate on, and assist in partial recovery. Although in a reduced version, the model will be similar to that of the Madrid center, a pioneer in Spain, and which could function as a real hospital in the event of a health emergency. This work strategy in the environment aims to promote the humanization of healthcare, which CEU sources define as one of the founding principles of their studies.

Students currently in their second year of high school who want to enter medicine will have to take an entrance exam in February 2026. A ranking will then be drawn up combining the grade from their first year of high school, which will be the only one available at that time (40%), and the grade from the entrance exam and personal interview (60%). According to Tello, the university project in Mallorca "stirs up passion" and has sparked interest among healthcare professionals who want to become teachers, as well as among potential students. When searching for teachers, active teachers will be prioritized.

A controversial implementation

The process to reclassify the land of the former Riskal building, on Antonia Martínez Fiol Street in Palma, has been surprisingly swift. In just nine days, the site was converted from "leisure" use to "educational facilities," thanks to a decree law approved by the government on September 5 to accelerate strategic economic and educational projects. The CEU San Pablo Foundation requested a declaration of strategic interest on September 16, and the Governing Council approved its reclassification just nine days later.

On September 30, however, Parliament repealed the decree law, rendering the urban development agreement void.According to legal sources consulted by ARA Baleares, without this regulation, Palma City Council cannot grant the necessary licenses, so the project has been temporarily halted. The general director avoids making explicit mention of the political debate surrounding the project in Mallorca, although he does refer to it indirectly: "Our project needs clear regulations and a national vision," he assures. "If instead of three months it takes three years, it doesn't matter. We have good relations with all sectors," he adds.

The repeal of the strategic projects decree now forces the Foundation to wait for new regulations or legislative modification to resume the necessary urban planning procedures. This sequence of events, according to consulted experts, demonstrates an unprecedented process due to its speed and lack of precedent, which brings to the fore the debate on transparency and urban planning in the Balearic Islands, as well as the pressure that private projects with a high social and economic impact can exert in a territory with limited land and already very tense.