CEU San Pablo University has received the
prestigious Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation (CeQuInt)
awarded by the European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education
(ECA), which highlights the value of the internationalisation strategy that
the institution has been promoting in recent years. CEU San Pablo University
has obtained a rating of ‘good’ for its optimal vision of internationalisation,
its ability to integrate all aspects of university life beyond the national
sphere, and its global mission.
This certificate, which is awarded
for a period of five years and is renewable following a new review, highlights
the international and intercultural dimension that we develop and demonstrates
the quality of our internationalisation programmes. It recognises the
institution's differential mission, whose students cross borders to acquire an
education and training which prepares them for a multicultural job market.
CEU San Pablo University is an
institution with an international vision which aims to train its students to be
successful in a competitive and globalised world. It has been a pioneer in
offering bilingual degrees and degrees entirely in English and also in developing
international programmes with prestigious American and European universities as
well as offering a wide range of exchange programmes with universities all over
the world.
The University has an increasing
number of foreign students from over 50 countries which currently form 22% of Undergraduates
and 16% of those on Postgraduate courses when including both exchange students
and those taking their full course at the institution. In keeping with this
drive for internationalisation, 2,233 international mobility places have been
offered for the academic year 2023-24, to which a total of 1,185 students have
expressed their interest by applying, thanks to agreements with 385
universities in 33 countries from all continents (350 with mobility agreements
and 35 for other projects).
In addition, during this academic
year more than 50 COIL (Collaborative Online Learning) projects
are being implemented with the aim of providing an international educational
experience for all students throughout their studies. The Vice-Rector's Office
for Internationalisation has also developed other initiatives such as the IBPs
(International Bilingual Programs) and IOPs (International Online
Programs) with the following prestigious American universities: Boston
University, UCLA, Stanford University, Fordham University, University of
Arizona and the University of Chicago. Students can also complete programmes
with internationally recognised institutions such as The United Nations
Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and currently students can take international
double degrees in Business with the Audencia Business School (Nantes,
France) and in Nursing with the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile.
CEU San Pablo University is the first
university in Madrid and the second in Spain, together with CEU Cardenal
Herrera, to achieve this institutional distinction. It is now part of the
prestigious list of accredited universities such as Maastricht
University (Netherlands), Utrecht University (Netherlands), Laurea University
(Finland), Wageningen University (Netherlands), University of Groningen
(Netherlands), The Hague University (Hague, Netherlands), and the University of
Applied Sciences BFI Vienna who have this certificate at either institutional
level or for specific programmes/faculties.
Recognition for
vocation and international vision
To receive the Certificate for
Quality in Internationalisation (CeQuInt), the University has gone through
a complex process, in which the ECA assesses five parameters: Objectives,
based on continuous improvement of student learning outcomes; Plans, on
how internationalisation involves everyone in the organisation; Implementation,
in relation to data collection, analysis and decision-making as well as
documentation of all achievements; Improvement, on the integration of
the international approach in the Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS), the
creation of strategic alliances, the involvement of the entire university
community in the improvement processes in stakeholders; and Governance, regarding
open, accountable and inclusive decision-making processes that integrate a
vision of enhancing the internationalisation of the institution's educational
mission.
The result obtained has highlighted
both the appropriate internationalisation strategy adopted and its balanced
development in all dimensions. CEU USP was rated “good” in all the
assessed criteria (the scale includes four categories: unsatisfactory,
satisfactory, good and excellent), due to its optimal vision of
internationalisation, its ability to integrate all aspects of university life
beyond the national sphere and its global mission.