Student accommodation
Public university residence
A public university residence is one owned by a public university, or by another public authority, that houses university students. Those a university founds itself must give access through a public, objective and transparent procedure, and that university's Statutes set how they are governed.
Also known aspublic student residence · university-owned residence · university hall · residencia universitaria pública
What sets it apart
The basis is in the University Student Statute: universities shall help their students find accommodation "as far as they are able" and, to that end, may have their own or affiliated colegios mayores (Spanish halls of residence with a formative programme) and other residences (art. 66.1). For the colegios and residences a university founds itself it requires access through public, objective and transparent procedures, known in advance and open to students from different fields (art. 66.3), and a management team appointed under the university's Statutes, with residents taking part (art. 66.5). For all of them, facilities accessible to people with disabilities (art. 66.4).
The LAU adds a consequence: the use of university housing that the university itself, as "owner or party responsible", designates as such and assigns to its students or staff falls outside the leases act, and the university sets the rules of use (art. 5.d). That wording is a reminder that ownership and management can be separate.
Worth knowing
Public does not mean colegio mayor. A public university's residence provides accommodation; a colegio mayor is a university institution with a formative mission, and only non-profit entities may run one. They can share a campus and have different rules: the difference is in the guide to colegio mayor or residence, and the general term, in university residence.
Sources
Related terms
- Colegio mayorA colegio mayor is a Spanish hall of residence with a formative programme, integrated into a university: it houses university students and runs cultural and scientific activities for their all-round education. The LOSU defines it as a university institution that only non-profit entities may run or promote.
- Residencia universitaria (university residence)A residencia universitaria is a Spanish university residence: a centre that provides accommodation and services to university students —room, meals, cleaning— without being a university institution. It may belong to the university, be affiliated to it or be private and independent, and any owner may run it.