A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya
AQU Catalunya became the first European quality agency to award the first Joint European Degree Labels, a seal promoted by the European Commission that recognises joint programmes developed by international university alliances.
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This issue of the AQU Catalunya newsletter is packed with content of particular relevance to the Catalan university system. We present the results of the latest edition of the 2026 Graduate Employment Survey — one of the most valuable tools for understanding how graduates move into professional life and how well university education aligns with the country's social and economic needs. You will also find new reports drawn from the Student Satisfaction Survey, giving students’ own views on the education they have received and identify where there is room to improve. We also present the new benchmark for designing new Medicine programmes, a particularly sensitive and strategic field that demands the highest levels of rigour, responsibility and commitment to quality.
All these projects share a single purpose: building trust. Trust in higher education institutions, in assessment processes and in the university system’s capacity to keep evolving and to meet the challenges of our time.
That goal matters all the more at a time when Europe is pushing forward new forms of university cooperation. A few days ago, AQU Catalunya became the first European quality agency to award the first Joint European Degree Labels, a seal promoted by the European Commission that recognises joint programmes developed by international university alliances. The first labels went to two master’s degrees: one led by the Universitat de Barcelona, as part of the CHARM-EU alliance, and another by the Universidad Católica de Valencia through the EU-CONEXUS alliance.
Beyond what this means for the Catalan university system and for AQU within Europe, I believe this milestone calls for deeper reflection. There is much talk of the need to build a more integrated European university sector. But integration is not achieved through new rules or administrative machinery alone. Above all, it requires mutual trust: trust between universities, between countries and between quality assurance systems. It requires sharing criteria, recognition of one another’s expertise and an understanding that collaboration is the surest, most solid road to excellence.
Seen in this light, quality agencies bear a particular responsibility. We are not merely bodies that check procedures or issue reports. We are institutions serving the public interest, entrusted with ensuring that academic decisions are made with rigour, transparency and independence. In a constantly shifting environment, that role matters more than ever.
There is, of course, always room for improvement. Universities evolve, society changes and student expectations change with it. Assessment methods must keep adapting accordingly. The strength of a system is measured not by the absence of challenges, but by its capacity to meet them with credibility and a commitment to progress.
Over the years, AQU Catalunya has built a solid track record founded on technical rigour, independent judgement and a commitment to European quality standards. That standing is recognised both at home and abroad, and it allows us to play an active part in the debates that will shape the future of higher education in Europe. The award of the first Joint European Degree Labels is not a finishing line, but further proof of the trust European institutions place in the quality system we have built together.
So, as we keep working to improve, innovate and rise to new challenges, we should not lose sight of what we have already achieved. We have a demanding university system and a quality agency that is recognised, respected and fully engaged with European developments. This is a collective strength, and one we should value and carry into the future.