Manacor-born tennis player Rafael Nadal will be awarded an honorary doctorate by the Polytechnic University of Madrid this Tuesday, the highest academic distinction granted by the institution. The ceremony will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Rectorate and will be presided over by Rector Óscar García Suárez.

In 1980, just two years after the creation of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Spain had 23 public universities and only 4 private ones. Eighteen years later, with the opening of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (1998), the balance of power had changed radically: 50 public universities and 18 private ones. Today, almost half a century later, the landscape has reversed even further. There are 50 public universities and 42 private ones in Spain, and private initiatives threaten to equal—or even surpass—the public offerings.

The University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) will implement profound changes to its academic offerings in the coming years, at a time of expansion for private universities, in order to establish itself and grow in the Balearic Islands. Starting next academic year, students will be able to pursue a degree in Marine Sciences and a double degree in Mathematics and Physics. In subsequent years, a double degree in Catalan and English Philology will be added, as well as degrees in Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, and a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degree, which currently has a provisional name while its final profile and implementation model are being defined. During the presentation of these new programs, the Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, emphasized the Government's "firm" commitment "to the only public university in the Balearic Islands," as part of the effort to combat the fact that the Balearic Islands have the highest school dropout rate and the fewest university students of any autonomous community in Spain. For his part, the rector of the UIB, Jaume Carot, thanked the Balearic Government for its collaboration and celebrated the UIB's progress to the point of no longer being the institution with the fewest offerings among the G9, the group of public universities that are the only ones in their respective territories. Carot explained that the main obstacle to growth has not been a lack of will but rather a lack of space: "The Polytechnic School operates at full capacity morning and afternoon, with all classrooms occupied, and also uses other buildings."

"When I retired, I was absolutely certain you wouldn't find me sitting in an armchair," says 81-year-old Francesc in classroom 3 of the Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos building at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), where he and his classmates are waiting for the professor to arrive for the final class of Interculturality and Migration: Science. The 120 students in the Open University for Seniors (UOM) Postgraduate Diploma program—towards a new humanism—have until November 30th to submit the paper they will be assessed on for this course. They can also graduate without taking any assessments if they attend 80% of the classes. "They are the best students I've ever had. They are thoughtful and open-minded, people who are used to listening, something rare these days," explains David Abril, the professor of the course and of Sociology. "They participate without being asked, they bring things up, they question them... This is ideal at any age and it's harder to achieve with young people," he adds, also acknowledging that the reality he has found at the UOM "has exceeded" his expectations—it's the first time he's taught.

Starting next Monday, October 6, the UIB will implement a maximum price for menus in all campus cafeterias. This measure, jointly promoted by the Regional Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, and the Rector of the UIB, Jaume Carot, establishes a ceiling of €7.55 for a full meal and €5 for a half meal. Until now, average prices hovered around €9.40 and €6.40, respectively, which were among the highest among Spanish universities.

The private faculty promoted by the Catholic Foundation CEU San Pablo has achieved the reclassification of the land of the former Riskal, on Antonia Martínez Fiol Street in Palma, in just 9 days (two of which were weekends). The publication in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) of the agreement of the Governing Council of September 25 confirms the impressive speed with which the promoters of this training center have obtained not only the change of use of the land, but also the full authorization to carry out the faculty where the degrees in Medicine, Nursing, and Nursing will be taught.

A study by the University of Mannheim, conducted by Dr. Sehrish Usman—with two members of the European Central Bank—estimates that the drought will represent a loss of €464 million to the Balearic Islands' economy in 2025. Looking ahead to 2029, the document predicts a loss of €1.195 billion. Per capita, €372 million will be lost this year and €958 million in 2029.

Rafael Nadal will receive an honorary doctorate on October 3. from the University of Salamanca in a solemn ceremony held in the Auditorium. The University of Salamanca's faculty approved this award on January 20th, in the same session that approved the recognition of French microbiologist, geneticist, and biochemist Emmanuelle Charpentier, who will receive it on October 24th, according to the academic institution.

A young man from Santa Eulària has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund his education at a university for which he has received a half-scholarship. According to the GoFundMe platform, this young man has been accepted into Tetr University, a global institution that combines practical learning in seven different countries, including India and the United States.

The UNPORTAL platform and the ARA (National Association of University Students) offer you the cut-off marks for the first allocation of places for the 2025-2026 academic year, which you can consult along with the updated offer of university courses to be taught at the 12 Catalan universities (the 8 participating in the pre-registration system and the 4 not).