Students who want to study Medicine at the Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic) will see a significant reduction in tuition fees next academic year. The Department of Universities will launch a line of aid that will reduce fees by 44%, from 13,500 euros per year to 7,560 euros. The aid will be provided in the form of a loan that the student will not have to repay if they complete their studies at this private campus. Currently, after the fee reduction this year, tuition for Medicine at public universities is one thousand euros annually, while at a private university like Ramon Llull it amounts to 19,000 euros.
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The measure is part of the Government’s plan to create 700 new Medicine places over the next five years, both in public and private universities. However, for now only those for the next academic year are authorized: a total of 195 new places, all in private universities. Of these, 25 correspond to Vic, which will see its offer increase from 115 to 140 places. Additionally, the Generalitat’s idea is to decentralize these studies and offer them at an affordable price outside provincial capitals. “We believe in policies that improve access to the territory and want students to complete their studies in central Catalonia,” said the Minister of Universities Núria Montserrat on Wednesday during the presentation of the aid in Vic.
The Universitat de Vic has a particular regime, which oscillates between public and private. In fact, it is managed by a private foundation – Balmes – but its members mainly belong to the administration – Generalitat, town councils, etc. Moreover, access to UVic studies is through Selectivity, like public universities; and its prices are not public, but neither are they as high as other private ones. The new loan line will significantly reduce the cost of Medicine studies at the Vic campus, which until now were the most expensive in its catalog, bringing them closer to the average price of other degrees, which are around 6,000 euros annually.
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The aid will be processed in the form of a line of forgivable loans, but the student will not have to repay it if they complete their studies at this campus. If they do not, they will have to return the proportional amount corresponding to the years not completed. In total, the Generalitat foresees an injection of four million to finance this aid, unprecedented until now, which will be included within the program contract, which is the legal form in which the Department finances part of the university’s maintenance costs.
UVic already has a scholarship line to facilitate access to Medicine. These are aids, which do not depend on family income, endowed with 2,000 euros to be deducted from the tuition fee, and are compatible with other scholarships.
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