The Department of Education has indicated that notification could be received within “days, weeks or months”. However, the fact that the ruling concerning the Balearic Islands has already been issued suggests that the decision could come “soon”. “It is not possible to know whether the Supreme Court will respond to the appeals one by one or in blocks—considering together those filed by other autonomous communities, as well as by private universities and individuals—or whether it will issue a separate ruling on each appeal,” it said.
If the ruling upholds Aragon’s claims, the Ministry will be required to comply with it “definitively”, as there is no possibility of filing a further appeal. It must also be formally published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). For now, the Department of Education insists that it is waiting to receive the “official judicial notification”.
THREE PRIVATE UNIVERSITY PROJECTS IN ARAGON AWAITING A DECISION
This situation affects three private university projects in Aragon: Niccolo Cusano (NCI) in Calatayud, ThePower and Uniar, linked to Grupo Montessori. The three applications were returned by the Ministry after the April 2024 Royal Decree came into force, requiring the proposals to be adapted to the new requirements. The projects are currently on hold.
Regarding the processing of applications, the Directorate-General for Universities of the Government of Aragon is responsible for receiving applications, reviewing the initial documentation and checking that they meet the relevant requirements before proceeding with the process.
However, the powers vary depending on the teaching format. While the regional government retains responsibility for face-to-face universities, in the case of exclusively online institutions, current regulations assign evaluation and approval to the Government of Spain.
Once the initial review has been completed and approval obtained from the Directorate-General for Universities, the applications are sent to the Ministry to continue processing at the national level.
