The Galician Government is reducing the minimum number of students per degree to maintain qualifications in light of population decline and new labour market demands.
The Xunta de Galicia has initiated the process to approve a new decree that will relax the requirements for official university degrees. The Consello da Xunta acknowledged this Monday the start of the prior public consultation, which already includes participation from the three public universities in Galicia.
The president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, explained that the main novelty will be the reduction of the minimum number of students required to maintain a degree. Currently, the 2011 regulations require a minimum of 50 students in central campus degrees and 45 in non-central campuses, and 20 in master's programmes. The new decree will review these criteria and establish differentiated requirements based on the type of degree, the campus, and the specific characteristics of each course.
Rueda highlighted that the update aims to "modify and modernise" the regulatory framework to achieve a university offering that is "more flexible, innovative, and of high quality," responding to demographic reality and future training needs.
The measure responds to the demographic change in Galicia, a community with an ageing population and a low birth rate. The Xunta hopes that the relaxation will allow the maintenance of degrees in smaller campuses and prevent the loss of academic offerings.
Additionally, the regional government wants to strengthen the recruitment of students from outside Galicia, both from the rest of Spain and abroad, as a way to ensure the continuity of the Galician university system.
The new decree will also regulate the map of degrees as a medium-term planning tool. The objective is to complete and expand the available courses, especially in areas with greater professional projection. In the 2025-2026 academic year, Galician universities offered 141 bachelor's degrees, 218 master's programmes, and 136 doctoral programmes. The intention is to continue expanding this catalogue with degrees linked to sectors with high demand and good employment prospects.
"We will continue to expand the university offering taking into account the new demands of the labour market and placing special emphasis on those degrees that will have a bright future due to high demand and employability," Rueda stated.
The new regulation will incorporate changes derived from the state Organic Law of the University System and will include figures such as dual mentions, simultaneous programmes, open pathways, international joint degrees, and lifelong training through micro-credentials and short-duration programmes.
The Xunta assures that it will continue to work with the public universities in Galicia to adapt the educational offering to the new demographic and economic scenario, with the aim of maintaining a university system that is "more complete, competitive, and connected to the needs of Galicia."
For students and their families, the relaxation means that degrees with lower demand can be maintained, which avoids the need to relocate to other communities or the disappearance of training options in smaller campuses. It also opens the door to new courses linked to emerging sectors, such as technology or sustainability, which require specialised profiles.
The prior public consultation process is the first step towards drafting the decree. The Xunta expects the regulations to be approved in the coming months, once contributions from universities and other stakeholders have been collected.
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