“EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AREA. Situation and Challenges for Spain: the case of foreign students at the UCM”

摘要

The modernization of Spanish economy and society must go accompanied with a deeper reform of the functioning of Spanish universities. The European Higher Education Area offers an opportunity to improve University Study Programs, as well as mechanisms of academic exchanges and instruments for international cooperation between universities. SpainMhas a good opportunity to adapt Higher Education Programs to the new context that implies European integration and the general process of globalisation (*). The recent growth of foreign students at Spanish universities is contributing to compensate the falling trends detected in the total number of university registrations. For next years, the number of foreign students should continue growing, what could also contribute to improve the integration of immigrants in Spanish society. In percentages, the presence of foreigners is more important in Third Cycle and Postgraduate Studies (Doctorate, Masters and other Courses of Specialization). To this regard, the UCM constitutes a good example of the increasing interest and importance of postgraduate studies for the enrolment of foreign students. The most important growth of foreigners at the UCM has been due to the arrival of non-European students (extra-communitarians), particularly from Latin America. All this matters lead to interrogate on the necessity of adopting policies specifically orientated to the integration of foreign students. The UCM supports specific actions in this area and has carried out new initiatives oriented to facilitate their academic and social integration (**).