Key data
| Regulation | Resolution of March 31, 2026, from the General Secretariat of Universities, publishing the Agreement of the Council of Universities on recommendations for official degree programs in Computer Science and Computer Engineering |
|---|---|
| BOE Publication | May 15, 2026 |
| Effective date | April 1, 2026 |
| Affected parties | Universities, educational institutions, polytechnic schools and affiliated centers in Spain with Computer Science degree programs |
| Category | Education |
| Organization | General Secretariat of Universities — Council of Universities |
| Official source | BOE-A-2026-10594 |
Computer science faculties, polytechnic schools and affiliated centers that want to launch new degree programs or modify existing ones in Computer Science have a new reference framework as of April 1, 2026. The Resolution of March 31, 2026 from the General Secretariat of Universities publishes the Agreement of the Council of Universities with specific recommendations for preparing verification reports for these degree programs.
The practical message is clear: following these recommendations is not strictly mandatory, but ignoring them complicates—and can block—obtaining official ANECA accreditation. For university leadership teams, this amounts to a de facto standard that must be met.
What does this regulation establish?
The resolution publishes the guidelines of the Council of Universities aimed at standardizing education in Computer Science and Computer Engineering throughout Spanish territory. The three main axes that verification reports must reflect are:
- Competencies: definition of competencies that students must acquire in undergraduate and master's degree programs.
- Minimum content: subjects and knowledge blocks that must be present in study plans.
- Curricular structure: organization and distribution of the curriculum to ensure coherent and comparable education across universities.
These recommendations apply to both proposals for new degree programs and substantial modifications of existing programs. Following them is the most direct path for ANECA to grant official verification, an essential condition for a degree program to be valid throughout the national territory.
The stated objective is to guarantee standardized education at the national level, so that a graduate in Computer Science from any Spanish university demonstrates a comparable level of competencies.
Economic and operational impact
This regulation does not generate direct costs in the form of fees or economic sanctions. Its impact is fundamentally operational and strategic for educational institutions:
- Cost of curricular adaptation: reviewing and redesigning study plans involves hours of work from academic committees, coordinators and quality teams. In institutions with multiple affected degree programs, this process can extend over several months.
- Risk of non-verification: if a report does not align with the recommendations, ANECA may request corrections or deny verification, delaying the launch of the degree program and generating additional processing costs.
- Competitive advantage: institutions that quickly adapt their degree programs will be able to present verified programs more easily, strengthening their positioning with students and employers.
- Homologation and recognition: degree programs that follow these recommendations will have greater ease of recognition at national and international levels, benefiting both the institution and its graduates.
Who does it affect?
This resolution has direct impact on the following stakeholders:
- Public and private universities with Computer Science faculties or schools in Spain.
- Polytechnic schools that teach or plan to teach Computer Science or Computer Engineering degree programs.
- Affiliated centers to universities that offer these degree programs.
- Academic leadership teams (deans, school directors, vice-rectors of academic affairs) responsible for designing or modifying study plans.
- Quality and verification committees responsible for preparing verification reports for ANECA.
- Degree and master's program coordinators in the Computer Science field who must review competencies and content.
It does not directly affect private sector companies, although it does have indirect impact on the quality and consistency of graduates entering the labor market.
Practical example
A polytechnic school affiliated with a Spanish university that has spent two years preparing a new Computer Science degree program proposal must now review its verification report before submitting it to ANECA.
The academic team will need to compare the existing curricular design with the Council of Universities recommendations in three specific areas: that the competencies defined in the report match the agreement's guidance, that minimum content is present in the subject structure, and that the curricular organization responds to the recommended framework.
If the report was already advanced but does not reflect these criteria, the institution must introduce modifications before formal submission. Doing so in this preliminary phase is much less costly than receiving a correction request from ANECA once the verification process has begun, which can delay the launch of the degree program between six months and a year.
What should educational institutions do now?
- Identify affected degree programs: review which Computer Science and Computer Engineering degrees and master's programs are in the design process, substantial modification, or upcoming accreditation renewal.
- Download and analyze the Council of Universities agreement: access the full text published in the BOE (BOE-A-2026-10594) and distribute it among academic leaders and quality committees.
- Compare current or developing study plans with the recommendations regarding competencies, minimum content and curricular structure.
- Prioritize necessary modifications before submitting any report to ANECA, to avoid correction requests that delay verification.
- Document the adaptation process to demonstrate to ANECA compliance with the Council of Universities recommendations.
- Consult with the university's legal or quality department if there are doubts about the scope of necessary modifications or their classification as substantial or non-substantial modifications.
Frequently asked questions
Are the new recommendations mandatory for Computer Science degrees?
They are not strictly mandatory, but following them facilitates approval of degree programs by ANECA and guarantees standardized education at the national level. In practice, not following them significantly complicates official verification.
Which institutions must apply these recommendations?
They affect universities, educational institutions, polytechnic schools and affiliated centers that plan new degree programs or substantial modifications in Computer Science and Computer Engineering in Spain.
What aspects must study plans include according to these recommendations?
The recommendations provide guidance on competencies, minimum content and curricular structure that must be included in verification reports for undergraduate and master's degree programs in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
When do these recommendations take effect?
The effective date is April 1, 2026, although the resolution publishing them is dated March 31, 2026 and was published in the BOE on May 15, 2026.
What happens if a university does not adapt its study plan to these recommendations?
If the recommendations are not followed, the verification process with ANECA may be delayed or denied, requiring corrections and additional processing time.