Education is one of the fundamental pillars that defines the future of a person and, therefore, the progress of the entire society. Knowledge and learning have been essential drivers for human development. Through education, individuals not only acquire the skills and competencies necessary to face the challenges of the modern world, but we also develop values and principles that promote harmonious coexistence and collective growth.
In this context, quality and access to education with equal opportunities for all become determining factors that shape not only individual destiny, but also the advancement and progress of entire communities and nations. Education emerges as a powerful tool to transform lives, and proof of this is the increase in demand for higher education, which has grown in Spain, reaching almost 2 million university students in the 2022-2023 academic year, according to the Ministry of Universities in its report on Facts and figures of the Spanish University System.
Hence investing in aid and scholarships is essential to generate a significant impact in the students. According to the report, beneficiaries of this type of aid show better results in various academic indicators compared to non-scholarship recipients. This includes a better rate of performance, success and evaluation in Degree studies.
Aware of this, Santander Bank More than 27 years ago, it opted for education, entrepreneurship and employability, as part of its commitment to progress and inclusive and sustainable growth. Now through platforms like Santander Open Academy, Santander X and Digital Campus, and a reorientation of its programs in Spain, the entity has the objective of universalizing its initiatives so that they reach more people in collaboration with universities. In this way, it aims to ensure that they reach those who need it most through programs to help them study, international mobility, improve employability, support research and promote entrepreneurship.
Aids such as Santander-UFV Europe Scholarships that every year bring together students on a three-week academic trip through the most prestigious universities in Europe. 50 best high school students. Thanks to their brilliant records, and a prior selection process, young people also have the opportunity to attend conferences by some of the greatest intellectual exponents of different disciplines of Law, Philosophy, Economics, Physics… who offer presentations in these universities. Once the trip is over, participants have the option to directly access the program University Leadership Schoolas was the case of Luis Muñoz, a 2nd year Law and Business Administration student at the Carlos III University of Madrid.
“At the School of University Leadership, not only intellectual growth is sought, but also personal growth. The ELU aims to be a search for truth and good, as the name says: to form leaders. Leaders who are intellectually trained and at the same time have integrity and that can give society a good direction,” says Muñoz.
Laila Antiñolo is another example of Santander’s commitment to higher education. In her case, this Medicine student from the University of Barcelona received a Santander Scholarship for Erasmuswith which the entity promotes the external mobility and supports students who wish to live the experience of training abroad. For Laila, this scholarship helped make her stay away from home more satisfactory: “Normally this type of trip has a high cost and the university scholarships do not cover all the expenses. This aid has been a plus and I am very grateful. The process to acquire it is very simple and they inform you very well. It is an experience that I recommend to everyone, leaving your country and seeing how people live and study in other places.”
One more step in 2025
To expand this aid policy, The entity will transform its support program for Spanish universities by 2025 towards a “more digital, more international and more global” modelbased on common platforms that give many more opportunities to more people,” as announced by Ana Botín, president of Banco Santander, during the last General Shareholders’ Meeting of Universia España. A new model that will benefit more than 40,000 people and companies next year. In this way, they will no longer focus exclusively on university students, but on everyone who wants to learn or update themselves, as is the case of higher-level vocational training students who complete their training on university campuses.
In addition, Santander Open Academy has made it possible to integrate a training offer in competencies and skills that are highly in demand in the current labor market to which The entity expects 60,000 people to access it in Spain in order to improve their employability for free. In this sense, Santander’s support will facilitate access to scholarship and aid programs for many more university students and researchers. It also places a special focus on employability with new initiatives such as fences of 5,000 complementary aid for professional practices or the Santander Scholarships | Microcredentials in support of the Ministry of Universities program.
In the field of entrepreneurship, this evolution of Banco Santander’s support program for Spanish universities will translate into support for 1,500 companies and entrepreneurial projects next year with training, advice and resources to grow.
Santander’s commitment to higher education
Banco Santander maintains a firm commitment to progress and inclusive and sustainable growth with a pioneering and consolidated commitment to education, employability and entrepreneurship, which has been developing for more than 27 years and distinguishes it from the rest of the financial entities in the world. The bank has allocated more than 2.3 billion euros and has supported more than 1.5 million people and companies through agreements with more than 1,200 universities. In addition, it has been recognized as one of the companies that are contributing the most to changing the world for the better, according to the list of Fortune Magazine ‘Change the World’ 2023.
