Via Universitària warns of inequalities in access to university studies and calls for policies of equity, gender and wellbeing for the student body
From left to right, Ernest Pons, Ramon Llopis, Anna Prades and Miquel Martínez
News
|
Academic
(30/04/2025)
The Vives Network of Universities presented this morning, at the University of Barcelona, the results of Via Universitària: Accés, condicions d’aprenentatge, expectatives i retorns dels estudis universitaris (2023-2025) (Access, learning conditions, expectations and returns to university studies), a benchmark study in the field of higher education. With the participation of more than 45,000 students from 20 universities and 1,700 degree programmes in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and Andorra, the report offers a detailed image of the university experience: from students’ living conditions and the organization of their studies, to cultural habits, emotional well-being and professional expectations.
From left to right, Ernest Pons, Ramon Llopis, Anna Prades and Miquel Martínez
News
|
Academic
30/04/2025
The Vives Network of Universities presented this morning, at the University of Barcelona, the results of Via Universitària: Accés, condicions d’aprenentatge, expectatives i retorns dels estudis universitaris (2023-2025) (Access, learning conditions, expectations and returns to university studies), a benchmark study in the field of higher education. With the participation of more than 45,000 students from 20 universities and 1,700 degree programmes in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and Andorra, the report offers a detailed image of the university experience: from students’ living conditions and the organization of their studies, to cultural habits, emotional well-being and professional expectations.
This fourth edition consolidates Via Universitària as one of the most comprehensive and rigorous surveys in the European university system, and puts data at the service of reflection and the formulation of public policies for a fairer, more inclusive university that is connected to the reality of the student body. Miquel Martínez, professor of Theory of Education at the UB, and Ernest Pons, professor of Economy at the UB, were two of the experts who took part in the scientific direction.
These are some of this edition’s conclusions:
Social background, equity and unequal access
The report reveals that social background continues to be a determining factor in the choice of and access to university studies. The upper social class accounts for 63% of bachelor’s and 61% of master’s students, figures which show that the university system is still far from being fully equitable. Moreover, students from less educated families are particularly concentrated in areas such as social sciences, humanities and health, and suffer more often from complex or financially interrupted academic trajectories.
Economic pressure, a constant in the university experience
The financing of university studies falls mainly on families, who cover almost 50% of the total costs. Scholarships only represent 13.9% of income, and work during the course gains weight (22.2%). As far as access to housing is concerned, the results show that access to university does not lead to emancipation from the parental home. Thus, six out of ten students live at home with their parents or relatives during their university studies. There is also an increase in shared renting compared to previous editions (26.4%). These data call into question the redistributive capacity of the university system and reinforce its dependence on the socio-economic environment, as well as the tensions present in the real estate market.
Gender gap and inequality in the use of personal time
Although women are in the majority in the sample (63% of the student body), the choice of studies is still marked by gender stereotypes. Women are concentrated in fields such as health and education, while men predominate in engineering and technological areas with better job opportunities and positions of power. Furthermore, the analysis in terms of the time gap shows a reality in which women spend more time on study and housework, while men have more time for hobbies and social life. This inequality in the distribution of time would be accentuated with age, increasing the overload of responsibilities for women.
The consolidation of non-formal education
The study also confirms the consolidation of the distance learning university: 20% of the students surveyed are studying entirely online. This model, which traditionally attracted students from unconventional backgrounds, is now seeing a notable increase in the number of young people aged under 26. In this way, online education is consolidating its position as a real and growing alternative, incorporating its own dynamics, and linked to profiles with more work and family responsibilities.
Links and participation in university life
Another significant finding of the study is the low level of participation in university life: 80% of students say that they have never participated in any organization or association. Furthermore, a considerable 22.9% say they feel ignored by the institutions. On the other hand, student sports practice is high (71%), but occurs mostly outside university campuses.
Emotional well-being and mental health: a structural problem
Emotional well-being is another of the main responses detected in Via Universitària. Some 26% of students report having suffered from anxiety and the number of cases with a medical diagnosis increases, a figure that rises during the social and health episode of the pandemic. The report recommends that universities incorporate mental health as a priority, with more resources and preventive strategies.
Dedication to study and teaching innovation methodologies
Students show a preference for active and participative methodologies, such as individual work and continuous assessment. However, a reduction in the time devoted to independent study is detected, which poses new challenges for the quality of learning. Nevertheless, class attendance remains high (88.5 %), which refutes the social rumour that classroom absenteeism has increased.
International mobility and master’s degrees: a global perspective
International mobility is recovering and surpassing pre-pandemic levels: more than 10% of students have undertaken training or research stays abroad. At the same time, master’s studies are gaining weight as a way of finding employment, with a growing presence of international students (26.3%). In this sense, there is a widespread feeling that an adequate labour market integration requires a postgraduate degree.
Via Universitària: the most important student study in the Pyrenees-Mediterranean region
The aim of the Via Universitària programme is to find out the profile of university students, their study conditions, satisfaction with teaching and links with the university. The Vives Network of Universities study collects data on student trajectories from a triple perspective: equity in access to and life in higher education; the transformation of students’ reality as a result of an increasingly diverse social environment; and the quality of teaching and learning methodologies. Thus, Via Universitària is aligned with the results of the international Eurostudent report, which collects the same information at European level.
The fourth edition of Via Universitària has been promoted by the following universities: University Abat Oliba CEU, University of Alicante, University of Andorra, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, University of Barcelona, University CEU Cardenal Herrera, University of Girona, University of the Balearic Islands, Universitat Internacional de Cataluña, University Jaume I, University of Lleida, University Miguel Hernández de Elche, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Universitat Politècnica de València and University of Vic-Central de Catalunya. The Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) has taken over its technical management. The programme is also supported by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in Andorra (AQUA), the Valencian Agency for Assessment and Forecasting (AVAP) and the Government of Catalonia.
These are some of this edition’s conclusions:
Social background, equity and unequal access
The report reveals that social background continues to be a determining factor in the choice of and access to university studies. The upper social class accounts for 63% of bachelor’s and 61% of master’s students, figures which show that the university system is still far from being fully equitable. Moreover, students from less educated families are particularly concentrated in areas such as social sciences, humanities and health, and suffer more often from complex or financially interrupted academic trajectories.
Economic pressure, a constant in the university experience
The financing of university studies falls mainly on families, who cover almost 50% of the total costs. Scholarships only represent 13.9% of income, and work during the course gains weight (22.2%). As far as access to housing is concerned, the results show that access to university does not lead to emancipation from the parental home. Thus, six out of ten students live at home with their parents or relatives during their university studies. There is also an increase in shared renting compared to previous editions (26.4%). These data call into question the redistributive capacity of the university system and reinforce its dependence on the socio-economic environment, as well as the tensions present in the real estate market.
Gender gap and inequality in the use of personal time
Although women are in the majority in the sample (63% of the student body), the choice of studies is still marked by gender stereotypes. Women are concentrated in fields such as health and education, while men predominate in engineering and technological areas with better job opportunities and positions of power. Furthermore, the analysis in terms of the time gap shows a reality in which women spend more time on study and housework, while men have more time for hobbies and social life. This inequality in the distribution of time would be accentuated with age, increasing the overload of responsibilities for women.
The consolidation of non-formal education
The study also confirms the consolidation of the distance learning university: 20% of the students surveyed are studying entirely online. This model, which traditionally attracted students from unconventional backgrounds, is now seeing a notable increase in the number of young people aged under 26. In this way, online education is consolidating its position as a real and growing alternative, incorporating its own dynamics, and linked to profiles with more work and family responsibilities.
Links and participation in university life
Another significant finding of the study is the low level of participation in university life: 80% of students say that they have never participated in any organization or association. Furthermore, a considerable 22.9% say they feel ignored by the institutions. On the other hand, student sports practice is high (71%), but occurs mostly outside university campuses.
Emotional well-being and mental health: a structural problem
Emotional well-being is another of the main responses detected in Via Universitària. Some 26% of students report having suffered from anxiety and the number of cases with a medical diagnosis increases, a figure that rises during the social and health episode of the pandemic. The report recommends that universities incorporate mental health as a priority, with more resources and preventive strategies.
Dedication to study and teaching innovation methodologies
Students show a preference for active and participative methodologies, such as individual work and continuous assessment. However, a reduction in the time devoted to independent study is detected, which poses new challenges for the quality of learning. Nevertheless, class attendance remains high (88.5 %), which refutes the social rumour that classroom absenteeism has increased.
International mobility and master’s degrees: a global perspective
International mobility is recovering and surpassing pre-pandemic levels: more than 10% of students have undertaken training or research stays abroad. At the same time, master’s studies are gaining weight as a way of finding employment, with a growing presence of international students (26.3%). In this sense, there is a widespread feeling that an adequate labour market integration requires a postgraduate degree.
Via Universitària: the most important student study in the Pyrenees-Mediterranean region
The aim of the Via Universitària programme is to find out the profile of university students, their study conditions, satisfaction with teaching and links with the university. The Vives Network of Universities study collects data on student trajectories from a triple perspective: equity in access to and life in higher education; the transformation of students’ reality as a result of an increasingly diverse social environment; and the quality of teaching and learning methodologies. Thus, Via Universitària is aligned with the results of the international Eurostudent report, which collects the same information at European level.
The fourth edition of Via Universitària has been promoted by the following universities: University Abat Oliba CEU, University of Alicante, University of Andorra, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, University of Barcelona, University CEU Cardenal Herrera, University of Girona, University of the Balearic Islands, Universitat Internacional de Cataluña, University Jaume I, University of Lleida, University Miguel Hernández de Elche, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Universitat Politècnica de València and University of Vic-Central de Catalunya. The Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) has taken over its technical management. The programme is also supported by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in Andorra (AQUA), the Valencian Agency for Assessment and Forecasting (AVAP) and the Government of Catalonia.
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