An education sector defined by academic excellence and diverse teaching models

Private institutions have taken on a leading role in Malaga’s education landscape in recent years. The number of international schools and colleges, from infant to university level, reflects the diverse education offer on the Costa del Sol and further afield. As well as Spanish education, a large number of schools offer the British curriculum, while others follow the US, Swedish, German and Norwegian systems, among others.

In a province experiencing strong business and economic growth, the training offering has evolved, welcoming new players while also consolidating established training centres and companies as key references in the sector.

One example is MEDAC, a vocational training centre founded in Malaga, which recently made a major step forward by joining forces with MasterD to become Davante. It is now the number one company for employment-focused education in Spain, with over 140,000 students enrolled each year, a network of more than 120 educational centres across Spain, Italy and Portugal, and a team of over 3,000 professionals, including 1,300 teachers.

In 2025, this successful educational project launched FP Plus, “an innovative approach that meets the real needs of the job market, combining regulated vocational training with the development of key skills that are highly valued by employers”.

One of the most significant developments in Malaga’s education scene in recent times has been the emergence of private universities. Earlier this year, SUR revealed that three new private universities will begin operating in Malaga in 2025: Alfonso X El Sabio, Universidad Europea and the Atlantic-Mediterranean Technological University (UTAMED), which will become Andalucía’s first fully online university.

In the case of Universidad Europea de Andalucía, the reservation period has already begun for degree courses such as Dentistry (currently the most in-demand), Biomedicine, Psychology, Physiotherapy, Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Business Administration and Management, Marketing and Computer Engineering. The first academic year is scheduled to start on 6 October.

UTAMED also plans to launch in September this year, offering degree programmes in areas such as Digital Communication and Journalism, Digital Marketing, Law, Digital Economy and Business Intelligence, Finance and Accounting, Primary Education, Early Childhood Education, Computer Engineering, Industrial Organisation Engineering, Human Nutrition and Dietetics and Psychology. This reflects a clear commitment to what the institution refers to as “new digital realities”.

As for Alfonso X El Sabio, the university has announced that its first academic year will begin on 29 September, with degree options including Dentistry, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Biomedicine, Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Pharmacy, Business Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Computing, Video Game Design and Industrial Design and Product Development.

Despite the rise of these new private universities, the University of Malaga (UMA) continues to uphold its international reputation, regaining ground in the prestigious Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), commonly known as the Shanghai Ranking. In this year’s edition, UMA has once again been ranked among the top 800 universities in the world.

Furthermore, the university’s tourism research department has been placed among the top 100 globally, with five other areas of research ranked within the top 500 worldwide.

The breadth and diversity of Malaga’s educational ecosystem also extend beyond the university sector. The annual Forbes list of the top 100 schools in Spain once again features a strong showing from the province. Four Malaga-based institutions have earned a place in this ranking: Aloha College Marbella, Los Olivos, Lycée Français International de Málaga and The British School of Málaga.