Multi-Campus Universities in Spain

Abstract

As in all European countries, the university in Spain has undergone an extraordinary growth, especially since the 1960s. This quantitative development is mainly shown by the increase in number of students and by the creation of new universities and colleges. Insofar as the first indicator is concerned, it must be pointed out that the number of inscriptions in institutions of higher education has increased from some 76, 000 students in the academic year 1959-60 to more than 600, 000 in 1979-80. This rate of expansion, in the years immediately before and after the educational reform of 1970, is superior to that of some of the countries of Europe with the highest level of development (the United Kingdom, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy). With regard to the number of universities, it must also be pointed out that there has been an increase from the 14 which existed in 1968 to 32 in 1980. To this figure we must also add more than 40 university colleges which were created during the 1970s in provincial capitals and in the principal cities.¹