On October 25 2025, the ceremony for the first graduates of BAES, the first joint three-year degree awarded by a European alliance, was held.
Published on 29 October 2025
Last October 25, at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the ceremony for the first graduates of the Bachelor of Arts in European Studies (BAES) took place.
Born within the framework of Una Europa, the BAES program is the result of collaboration among ten partner universities, including the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna.
The degree is jointly awarded by four universities — the University of Bologna, KU Leuven, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and the Jagiellonian University of Krakow — with the participation of Freie Universität Berlin, University College Dublin, University of Helsinki, University of Edinburgh, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and the University of Zurich as mobility partners.
“This achievement highlights the crucial role of alliances in today’s higher education landscape,” stated Giovanni Molari, Rector of the University of Bologna, “and reaffirms Una Europa’s commitment to shaping the future of higher academic education.”
BAES, the result of an extensive effort by all participating institutions to integrate their educational systems, is a highly innovative international program. It combines academic, linguistic, and cultural perspectives from across Europe, focusing on the core features and values of the European Union, its member countries and societies, and Europe’s role in the world.
“Our involvement in this project confirms the international vocation of the Alma Mater,” concluded Rector Molari, “which ranks first in Italy for the number of international students — who make up over 10% of total enrollment — and first in Europe for Erasmus+ mobility, both incoming and outgoing.”
The Rectors of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the University of Bologna attended the graduation ceremony for the first cohort of BAES graduates, together with representatives from the European Commission, Spanish authorities, and members of the governance and academic coordination teams from all the universities involved in the program.
Some press releases:- https://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2025/10/28/news/universita_bologna_madrid_proclamazione_nuovi_laureati_europei-424942872/-
Link to the video recording of the Ceremony: https://www.ucm.es/directo/1632
