Rector Teodomiro López calls on the Junta for more resources for UMA, which has lost €216 million in twelve years due to underfunding. The university is close to 10,353 new enrolments against over 14,000 applicants.
The University of Málaga (UMA) needs more money to grow. This was defended by its rector, Teodomiro López, during the opening ceremony of the academic year 2026-2027, held this Thursday with representatives from all administrations, as reported by Diario Sur.
López positioned the growth of the institution as a condition to respond to the dynamism of the province. "The UMA has to grow. It has to grow because Málaga has grown, because our province has changed profoundly, and because Malagan society needs more knowledge, more talent, and more highly qualified professionals," the rector stated before an audience that included the Secretary General of Universities of the Junta, Antonio Posadas, and the Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, among others. The Minister of Universities, Jorge Paradela, did not attend.
The rector estimated the accumulated loss due to underfunding at €216 million over twelve years. UMA's share of the funding of the Andalusian public system dropped from 15.1% in 2012 to 13.8% in 2024. While he appreciated the Junta's effort to reduce the investment differential per student, which has decreased from €800 to €495 compared to the regional average, he insisted that the gap persists.
"You cannot ask universities to grow, to increase the number of degrees, or to research more if they do not have sufficient funding. Having more students requires more resources, more faculty, more infrastructure, and more services"
The demand for places far exceeds the offer. This year, UMA has reached a record of 10,353 new enrolments, for the first time above 10,000, but the actual demand for first-choice exceeds 14,000 applicants. López called for an orderly expansion of the offer, especially in areas linked to technological transformation such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, or quantum computing.
"Every student who cannot study at our university is an opportunity lost for our society and talent that will end up developing elsewhere"
The rector also focused on housing, which he described as one of the main barriers for young people. He argued that access to university should depend on talent and effort, not on families' economic capacity, and called for the consolidation of scholarships, study aids, and university residences.
"We cannot, as a society, allow a family to have to go into debt for their children to study. When access to higher education depends on economic capacity, we are facing a regression that harms society as a whole"
López demanded the fulfilment of pending funding agreements and the implementation of a specific infrastructure plan for the campus. The event also included a message of solidarity with Ceuta.
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