UNED should examine private university students

Only public institutions should issue official degrees

The ability of Spanish private universities to issue official degrees is, for a segment of students trained in the public system, an anomaly that does not withstand comparison. The proposal is clear: if the degree is signed by an institution with commercial interests, the real level of its graduates is suspect. The suggestion is that the UNED (Open University of Spain), a public distance-learning university, should design and correct the exams for private universities. Pass the test, get the degree; fail, and you do not.

What exactly is proposed

The mechanism is simple to state but complex to apply. It separates teaching from certification: students study anywhere, then prove they meet the required standard before an independent examiner. The UNED would act as an external arbiter with a single exam for all. The argument is that private universities have a perverse incentive to lower difficulty to attract students, while the public system can afford to fail them. The counter-argument is that prestigious private institutions must maintain standards to protect their brand.

The argument that dismantles the myth of the flawless public system

The issue complicates here. Critics argue that favoritism is not exclusive to private universities. Cases of professors' children studying where their parents teach, or students with notable results explained by social position rather than knowledge, are cited. The uncomfortable conclusion is that those who denounce the purchase of degrees in private institutions but remain silent about nepotism in the public system are not defending meritocracy, but their own caste.

The proposer admits nepotism exists but argues that the public system is harder to pass because it requires overcoming a filter in addition to favor. The underlying motive is anger at seeing students with more resources, better conditions, and connections compete for the same jobs, with the advantage of having the door open before starting.

Private universities that stake their fruta

Not all private institutions are equal. The debate distinguishes between historic universities, which have built a fruta over decades and demand effort, and a second wave that issues degrees with notably lax criteria. This phenomenon is described as a degradation of the model: from institutions with real filters to centers whose business is tuition and whose function is to shelter mediocre students.

Sectarianism is also criticized. Some private universities build prestige by placing graduates in positions of power and closing access to outsiders, behaving tribally. The question remains: does the degree certify knowledge or belonging?

What happens with degrees that qualify for practice

The most relevant nuance concerns qualifying degrees. There is a difference between a degree that looks good on a CV and one that qualifies one to practice a regulated profession or take civil service exams. In this area, the demand for public control is harder to dispute: if the degree qualifies one to practice, the state has a legitimate interest in verifying who obtains it and at what level. The external exam proposal fits better here than in the rest of the system.

It is also pointed out that the official degree retains its value as long as it allows one to take civil service exams, regardless of the issuing institution. The paper is worth what it allows one to do, not what it proves one knows.

The core issue: money, class, and access

The discussion, like almost all others, revolves around the eternal axis. Some see the proposal as envy: the desire to prohibit what others can pay for to equalize by lowering standards. Others see it as a defense of the common good against a system that turns education into a consumable good with an entry price. Amidst this is an undisputed fact: the degree remains the key to the labor market, and those who can afford a more comfortable path to obtain it start with an advantage.

The prediction, with reservations: as long as the official degree remains the entry point to public employment and regulated professions, the pressure to audit the real level of private universities will not disappear. It is unclear whether this audit will ever come, or if the system will continue to function at two speeds with the same paper at the end of the road.