A group of Spanish investors, led by Carlos Tejera, founder of Gala Capital, and lawyer Miguel Riaño, has acquired Schiller International University, according to El Confidencial. Among the participants is also Alfredo Sáenz, former vice president of Banco Santander, although with a smaller stake.
The Madrid campus is located at 20 Serrano Street, and the university has campuses in Paris (France), Heidelberg (Germany), and Tampa (United States). This private university receives more than 20,000 students from over 50 nationalities each year.
The new owners have announced plans to expand the educational offerings, aiming to position Schiller International University as a benchmark for international students, both those wishing to study in Europe and European students interested in programs in the United States. Manuel Alonso-Puig, the current president of the university, stated that “there is a strong commitment to position this university as the best alternative for international students.”
Private universities, a new investment focus
This transaction reaffirms the growing interest of international investors in the private university sector. In 2018, the Permira fund acquired the Universidad Europea de Madrid for 770 million euros, and in 2019, the private equity fund CVC bought Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio for 1.1 billion euros.
