UVic-UCC increases the number of students enrolled by 7% in 2022-2023 and increases by 42% in five years

The University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) has this year surpassed the threshold of 11,000 students on official degree programmes for the first time, and in specific terms, has 11,588 students enrolled, 7% more in than the previous year. New entrance registrations for official UVic-UCC degrees for 2022-2023 ended with 3,866 students, a figure that is a 3% increase compared to the previous year. These figures also represent a 42% increase in overall enrolment numbers, and a 37% increase in new entrance registrations for the total of the last five academic years, since 2017-2018.

By course type, new entrance registrations to the federation's bachelor's degrees have increased by 3%, and 97% of the places available have been filled (13 percentage points higher than the previous year). In lifelong learning, university master's programmes have experienced a 6% increase in enrolments, and on the Professional Campus, which teaches advanced vocational training programmes, the number of students enrolled has grown by 12%.

In absolute terms, enrolment this year at UVic-UCC is distributed as follows: 5,492 people are enrolled on UVic bachelor's degree courses, 2,015 on UManresa bachelor's degree courses, 573 on UMedicina bachelor's degree courses, 530 on Elisava bachelor's degree courses, 471 on the various master's degree programmes, 288 on doctoral studies, 1,918 in the bachelor's and master's degrees at the affiliated centres (BAU, EADA and ESERP) and 301 on advanced vocational training programmes.

The enrolment figures, as well as the presentation of UVic-UCC's main strategic projects for the 2022-2023 academic year, were announced at the press conference-lunch that took place at the Joviat Hoteleria training centre in Manresa at midday last Tuesday. The speakers at the event were the rector of UVic-UCC, Josep Eladi Baños; the general manager of the Balmes University Foundation, Jordi Baiget; the general manager of the Bages University Foundation, Valentí Martínez; the director general of the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences Studies, Marina Geli, and the director general of the Elisava University School Private Foundation (Elisava), Javier Peña.

A very attractive university

The rector assessed the UVic-UCC enrolment figures for this academic year in a very positive light. The rise in the number of students this year and the previous years "means we can say that we are now a very attractive medium-sized university." According to the rector, this is evidenced by the growth in applications for first-preference admission. In addition, he said that "there are an increasing number of students from our nearby regions and areas of influence who want to come to our university because they rate its quality, which is comparable to that of any other university." The rector said this "kilometre zero effect" shows that "the reputation of UVic-UCC in the region has been enhanced."

Baños also highlighted the figure of 15% of foreign students enrolled on bachelor's degree courses, mainly from countries including France, Italy and Portugal. "We are one of the universities with the largest percentage of foreign students enrolled on bachelor's degree programmes in the Catalan university system," he said. He also emphasised the gradual increase in the number of people who are admitted to bachelor's degree studies after having completed advanced level vocational training, which shows that "UVic-UCC's strategy for vocational training and its 2+3 programme are working very well."

The figures by centre

The number of students enrolled as new entrance registrations at UVic is 1,545, a figure that is an increase of 10% compared to the previous year. Without counting the enrolments for the bachelor's degree in TIAL (Translation, Interpretation and Applied Languages) offered jointly with the UOC, the increase is 14%. In total, UVic will have 5,492 enrolled students in the 2022-2023 academic year - 5% more than in the previous year. The demand for UVic as a first preference has grown by 40%, while 80% of new entrance registrations chose this centre as their first preference (5 points more than last year). 95% of the places available were filled at the end of the registration period, which is an increase of 8 points compared to the previous year. The significant increases for each centre include a rise of 22% in enrolment in the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies and 20% in the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering.

UManresa has enrolled a total of 2,217 people in official studies (bachelor's degree and university master's degree courses and advanced vocational training cycles) for the 2022-2023 academic year, a figure that increases the number of students on campus by 4%. They have been 547 new entrance registrations. The range of official studies has also been expanded compared to the previous academic year, and 28% of the students are now from other countries. On the bachelor's degree course in blended learning format in Podiatry, employment levels are close to 100% and there has been a 4% increase in enrolment in the Faculty of Social Sciences in Manresa, where the degree in Business Administration and Management increased by 28% compared to the previous year.

There are 152 new entrance registrations in the Faculty of Medicine, in the year the sixth year of the bachelor's degree in Medicine is being taught for the first time, which will culminate with the graduation of the first cohort of students, and the bachelor's degree course currently has a total of 573 students. First-year enrolment remained stable compared to the previous year. The centre's good reputation is evident in the number of first preference applicants for the bachelor's degree in Medicine, which amounted to 135 students this year, and in the total number of applicants, which was 1,171 (compared to 1,103 last year). This bachelor's degree course has raised its minimum entrance mark to 12.50, from 12.39 last year.

267 new students have enrolled in the Elisava Faculty of Design and Engineering this year, with 181 having done so on the bachelor's degree in Design and Innovation, and 86 on the bachelor's degree in Industrial Design Engineering. The total number of students who applied for Elisava as their first preference in the first allocation in June was 238: 170 did so on the bachelor's degree in Design and Innovation, and 68 on the bachelor's degree in Industrial Design Engineering. A total of 621 people chose the bachelor's degrees at Elisava as one of their eight preferences.

Strategic projects to consolidate UVic-UCC

The most important relevant strategic projects by UVic-UCC and each of its federated centres for this academic year were also announced at the press conference presenting the enrolment figures. Jordi Baiget, the general manager of the Balmes University Foundation, explained that the University's priorities for 2022-2023 include the signing of the programme agreement after a long period of negotiation. "Our dialogue with the Government is ongoing, and we are optimistic; we believe we can conclude this negotiation on a positive basis, and have a stable funding framework for the next four years." He also referred to the consolidation of the current research structures and more specifically to the implementation of all the operations of the new Institute for Research and Innovation in Life Sciences and Health in Central Catalonia (IRIS-CC), the consolidation of the BETA Technological Center, and to the work being done on the growth of the other research and knowledge transfer centres.

Regarding the UVic (Balmes University Foundation), Baiget explained that a priority is the consolidation of the institution's territorial model, beginning with the City of Vic Campus and the facilities in Granollers and Manlleu. He referred to the inauguration of the University's new Paranymph (last October); the construction of the new building in the Vic Sud district, located in the Plaça de la Noguera; to the reinforcement of the institution's presence in Granollers with the plan for the refurbishment of a new building intended to house laboratories and classrooms for the bachelor's degree in Automotive Engineering, and the launch of the facility in Manlleu, with a broad range of courses. He also highlighted the launch of the UVic Graduate School and the future Business Simulation Centre, as well as the UVic's commitment to reducing its energy expenditure and applying measures aimed at self-consumption.

Valentí Martínez, the general manager of the Bages University Foundation, said that UManresa is committed to moving forward with research and innovation, to the organisation of the International Congress of Early Childhood Education Sciences (July 2023), coordinating the IRIS-CC Committee Innovation, and establishing a new chair on Leadership in Values. On this point, Martínez emphasised that "each of these projects is significant enough on its own, and helps to highlight the three areas of expertise of UManresa. All in all, taken together they are even more powerful and contribute to placing the city and the University on the map of knowledge, in both Catalonia and in the international context." Among this year's priorities, he also emphasised raising the profile of its expertise, with new studies in the fields of health, business and education, as well as making the work done on the campus more international, especially in the South American market.

Meanwhile, Marina Geli, the director general of the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences Studies, pointed out that this year will see the first cohort of graduates in Medicine, and that work is being done with a view to expanding the range of training available with the new bachelor's degrees in Audiology and Odontology, for which teaching is scheduled to begin in the 2023-2024 academic year. She said that "UVic-UCC's lengthy specialisation in health over many years" has been a key factor in progress on this new range. It has also required "cooperation at many different levels," including with professional associations, associations of deaf people and institutions that teach related training cycles.

Among the strategic projects undertaken by the Elisava Design School Private Foundation, its general director, Javier Peña, highlighted the establishment of partnerships with "top-level companies and institutions in their business areas", such as the NGO Open Arms, Girbau Group, Formica and Hyperloop. He also placed particular emphasis on the objective of developing platforms to create and transfer knowledge in areas in which Elisava is already recognised, such as food design (with the Food Design Lab Barcelona) and material design (Material Designers).