Fund manager EQT has acquired a majority stake in Universidad Europea, a private higher education platform with twelve campuses in Spain and Portugal. The seller of the stake, the private equity firm Permira, is not leaving the academic institution, and has instead chosen to retain a significant, albeit minority shareholding.

The purpose of the new owner is to strengthen Universidad Europea’s positioning. To achieve this, it will not only invest in existing campuses, but will use its international experience to set up campuses in new regions. The Swedish fund will also boost digital initiatives, with a bid to improve online learning courses for students seeking access to hybrid and remote learning models.

Over 500 degrees
Universidad Europea was established in 1996 and today is one of the largest and fastest-growing private university networks in Europe. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, as well as other professional programmes adapted to the labour market. In total, it offers over 500 degrees.

The education company has 3,400 employees and 54,000 students spread across its 12 campuses, which have welcomed a further 130,000 students since its inception. Experiential learning and the use of cutting-edge technology are two of its outstanding values in an industry that is expected to grow in the coming years in Spain and Portugal, due to reasons such as the growing demands of students from Europe and Latin America.

High-quality academic model
Anna Sundell, a Partner within the EQT Value-Add Infrastructure Advisory Team, sees the deal as “an opportunity to invest in one of Europe's leading higher education institutions. We have followed the company for a long time and are deeply impressed by its high-quality academic model, innovative approach and the way it has set up new state-of-the-art campuses in both Spain and Portugal.”

The Head of the fund in Spain, Asís Echániz, described Universidad Europea as “a leading higher education platform with a differentiated brand, a strong network of partners and students and an excellent growth trajectory”.

Universidad Europea CEO Otilia de la Fuente explained, “With Permira as our trusted partner, we have achieved remarkable success over the past four years. Together, we have strengthened the quality of our academic model for our students and embarked on ambitious expansion initiatives, including setting up new campuses and infrastructure. None of these milestones would have been possible without the unwavering dedication and collaborative efforts of our teams. As we enter this new chapter, we warmly welcome EQT and are excited to explore the limitless opportunities that await us with this extraordinary company.”

^{Photo: EQT}