Internacionalización de las universidades españolas

The report Internacionalización de las universidades españolas, drawn up as part of the BBVA Foundation and IVIE’s U-Ranking program, analyzes the degree of international openness of the Spanish university system from two perspectives: teaching and research.

It looks at recent trends in the internationalization of higher education in Spain, with an accent on student mobility, recruitment of international students, the presence of international faculty, scientific collaboration with universities in other countries, and level of international research funding. In doing so, it compares Spain’s situation with that of other university systems, especially those that figure high up in international rankings and stand out for their high level of internationalization.

Drawing on national and international sources, the report provides a comprehensive empirical assessment of the Spanish system from a comparative standpoint. It is organized into six chapters. The first defines the concept of university internationalization. Chapters two and three analyze the internationalization of higher education firstly from an international perspective, then looking at cases within Spain. Chapter four focuses on the internationalization of research, while chapter five examines the relationship between internationalization, employability and university reputation. Finally, the sixth chapter presents the report’s conclusions and recommendations.

The results show a significant advance for Spanish universities, both in terms of the enrollment of international students and faculty, and the growth of research conducted through international collaboration. However, a comparison with the most internationalized university systems reveals that there is still room for improvement across the Spanish system as a whole.

The report also identifies significant differences among Spanish universities, with some institutions standing out above the rest in diverse dimensions of internationalization.