The Generalitat's Departament de Recerca i Universitats, the regional research and universities department, has proposed changing how students enter university so Catalan candidates are not disadvantaged when applying for highly competitive Medicine degrees. The plan, first reported by El Nacional, has been put to Spain's Ministry and is based on percentile rankings rather than raw marks alone.

For students and families in Catalunya, the immediate issue is access to a limited number of Medicine places. The department argues that differences between regional entrance exam systems can affect final marks and, in turn, admissions to degrees with very high cut-off scores. Students can check the official PAU and pre-enrolment timetable through the Generalitat's PAU information portal.

According to the proposal described by the Departament de Recerca i Universitats, a percentile-based model would compare students by their position within each exam system rather than by marks taken at face value across different regions.

The debate matters most for Medicine because entry grades are among the highest in the system and small differences can decide who gets a place. The basic national framework for admission is set out in Royal Decree 534/2024 of 11 June, which regulates admissions procedures for official undergraduate university courses.

Catalunya is also planning more Medicine places

The admissions proposal comes alongside a separate push to expand training capacity. El Periódico de Catalunya reported that Catalunya plans to create 700 new Medicine places over five years, while 3Cat reported a plan for 700 places over six years, starting with 195 in private universities.

That wider expansion sits within a broader concern about healthcare training places. In a separate agreement, the Govern de la Generalitat said it would increase access to Nursing degrees by nearly 600 places for the coming academic year.

  • The proposed admissions change focuses on percentile comparisons between students from different exam systems.
  • Royal Decree 534/2024, dated 11 June 2024, sets the basic state admissions rules.
  • Catalunya is separately discussing 700 additional Medicine places over the coming five to six years, according to reports by El Periódico and 3Cat.

What students should watch now

No change has yet been confirmed to the rules that will apply to the next admissions round, and the proposal depends on discussions with the Spanish government. For now, students in batxillerat, higher vocational training and equivalent systems should follow the current official guidance on the Generalitat's university access portal and the admissions guidance circulated through XTEC, the Catalan education network.

The current official admissions information for Catalunya is published by the Departament de Recerca i Universitats, with additional school guidance available through XTEC. Until any reform is approved, Medicine applicants will continue to compete under the existing framework set by state and Catalan admissions rules.

Primary sources: Govern de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Recerca i Universitats, Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE). Reported by Source Text Link, El Periódico de Catalunya, 3Cat (CCMA), Departament d'Educació (via XTEC), El Nacional (CA).