The cost of studying at the UIB or abroad for Menorcans and Ibizans

PalmIn recent years, the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) has expanded its educational offerings with the introduction of new degrees. Some are also offered in a blended learning environment in Menorca and Ibiza. Despite these advantages, Menorcan and Ibizan university students who can afford to leave the island choose to enroll on the mainland. Some prioritize an emancipatory experience in a different community. Others, however, are restricted by the price of housing. Miquel Àngel Maria, a Menorcan writer and former island councilor for Culture, knows this well. In 2017, his eldest daughter, Roser, went to Catalonia to study Art History, and this year marks his youngest's third year studying Audiovisual Communication. "For the rest of the islands," he says, "the Balearic Government offers personal income tax deductions if you enroll a child at the UIB in Palma if you leave the island. This measure is very good, but it doesn't compensate for what you have to pay in rent in Mallorca. This ultimately leads many young Menorcans to choose to move to Barcelona, ​​​​which has always been our metro station."

María's youngest daughter has landed in a much more expensive city than the one her eldest found eight years ago. But she's been lucky. "A Mallorcan professor who works in Menorca has offered her her apartment in Barcelona for a reasonable price, aware of the serious housing crisis we're experiencing." To be able to live in the Principality, an island university student needs at least 9,000 euros per year, including tuition fees. "There are scholarships from the Ministry of Education," the writer points out, "that cover 50% of the stay and free tuition. However, they are for family incomes of around 45,000 euros gross. For average incomes of around 65,000 euros, there are scholarships from the Menorca Island Council."

Foresighted families

Despite this support, María believes that going abroad to study is still a matter of social class. "There are families who can't afford the remaining unsubsidized tuition, so they end up choosing courses offered at the UIB headquarters in Alaior. There are also those who plan ahead and save money when their children are young so they can send them back to the Peninsula when they're older." However, the situation is more diverse. "Some children, upon finishing their second year of high school, stay in Menorca to work for one or two years and then, with the little corner they've made, head off to study. Others do so by combining work with a higher degree on the island."

Menorcan university students who settle in Barcelona have the opportunity to access a room at the Casa de Menorca in Barcelona. It's a building located at 215 Carrer de la Diputació, near the Plaza de la Universidad. It has a bar and a theater. In 1964, it hosted a kind of Menorcan association at the initiative of a group of island residents eager to help their fellow countrymen. In 2007, the Island Council and five local councils bought 50% of the shares of the former real estate agency that managed the building. They did so with the aim of offering island students shared apartments at a fairly affordable price. Currently, the rate is around 190 euros per person, including water and electricity bills—those who don't benefit often pay three times as much. Its thirty places are for young people who cannot pursue their desired degree in Menorca. In the public call for applications, priority is given to family income and academic record.

Until recently, some young people who weren't eligible for the Menorcan House in Barcelona chose to go to Girona. "I," María assures, "have had nephews who were students, and it was a cheap alternative. Now, however, the city has also become much more expensive, and some are leaving for cheaper places like Lleida, Tarragona, Valencia, and Granada." María also notes another trend. "In Menorca, there's a growing number of upper-middle-class families who send their children to study in Madrid. They're mainly from Mahón, where there's not as strong a sense of identity. In this case, they're doing it for more ideological reasons, not for reasons of university quality. They're going to study courses like Law in Barcelona."

Living worse than parents

The X-ray of the university situation in Ibiza is provided by Fanny Tur, former Minister of Culture for the Balearic Government. Her two children have already completed their academic studies. One studied Tourism at the island's university campus. The other went to Bilbao to study Journalism. "Tuition there can be up to three times cheaper than in Barcelona. This is something to keep in mind, especially since the privatization of degrees began a good few years ago: they were shortened by a year so they could be completed with a very expensive master's degree." However, there are other factors that determine the choice of destination: "A niece of mine went to study Architecture in Valencia because the cut-off mark there is lower than in Barcelona. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, is studying Engineering in Vic, which is cheaper."

The choice of returning to Ibiza or Formentera after finishing university depends on job prospects. In any case, the determining factor is the price of housing. "Unless they already have a family home," Tur points out, "for many it's impossible to settle on the island. A salary from a professional like a teacher is no longer enough. The only solution is to find an apartment to share, which is very sad because it's as if they could never stop being students." The lament is deeper: "We have the most educated youth in history. However, they will be the first generation to live worse than their parents. Education has ceased to be a social elevator; it no longer allows you to live with a minimum of financial solvency." All of this has another negative interpretation: "We are losing human capital and denationalizing the Archipelago with young people who go to study abroad and then cannot return."

From Caimari to Granada

Studying at the UIB can also be expensive for a university student from the Foreland region of Mallorca. Llucia Massutí Campins, from Caimari, explains. This is her second year at the University of Granada, where she is studying a double degree in Law and Political Science, a program not offered in Palma. "I had always wanted to experience going out, as my mother had done. In any case, if I had chosen a degree offered on the island, each day I would have had to spend more than two hours, between the bus, train, and metro, to get to the campus on the Valldemossa road, and two more to return. The other option would have been to rent an extra room, but at least one room, in Palma. Cheap. Plus, it's the ideal size. It's not a big city like Madrid or Barcelona, ​​​​which are very stressful."

Massutí is still waiting to receive the Balearic Government's mobility grant for university students (the maximum amount is 1,200 euros). In the Andalusian city, he pays 700 euros for a residence hall, including a gym, while at the Penyafort in Barcelona it can cost up to 1,300 euros, and at the UIB, around 1,000. "I have a single room with a shared kitchen. At the on-site restaurant, however, they offer set meals for three and a half euros. I'm very close to the faculty." On the street, life is also very economical. "At night, with the tapas culture here, three drinks is enough for dinner. In a normal month, I can spend around 200 euros on personal expenses. In Mallorca, this is unthinkable." Next year, it's time to experience sharing a flat. Then, he'll be able to enjoy greater independence at an even lower price. "I have friends who pay 200 euros per room."

There are other incentives to study in Granada: "The first year, my tuition costs 1,000 euros. If, however, you pass all your credits, the Andalusian government pays for the next year's credits. This encourages you to study harder so that the stay isn't so expensive for your parents." The Caimari native has found a small university campus, but one with a wealth of cultural offerings. "I can even continue speaking Catalan with the large number of Mallorcans and Ibizans there. On the other hand, I haven't met any Menorcans. The other large group from outside the country are the Canarians."

Living with students from other communities has allowed Massutí to break down many prejudices. "The media often portrays an environmental tension in Spain that doesn't correspond to reality. I don't mind educating people about our island identity." For the moment, the possibility of returning to Mallorca in the short term is ruled out. "The mantra that life is great on the island is a thing of the past. Depending on the area of ​​the Peninsula, life is considerably cheaper."