Studying without leaving home: the UOC's rural graduates prove that university knows no borders

This November and December, more than 12,000 graduates will take part in the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya's (UOC) graduation ceremonies in Madrid and Barcelona. Behind every celebratory photo lies a personal story of effort, learning and fulfilled dreams. This feature focuses on those students who pursued their degrees from small towns and rural settings, often far from the traditional university hubs.

Some 17% of the UOC's university community live in rural areas, and 62% of them are women. For years, the university has been working to ensure that geographical distance is no barrier to higher education. One of its initiatives is the UOC Rural Network, a platform for co-creation and knowledge exchange designed to reduce territorial inequalities and promote social cohesion.

This commitment is also reflected in its rural grants, which the UOC has doubled in recent years, and free digital skills training for 5,000 people in rural areas. All of these efforts stem from one key belief: that online education can be a powerful tool for countering depopulation trends and creating opportunities that don't mean leaving one's local community behind.

A university that brings down barriers

At a time when limited access to education remains one of the major challenges facing rural areas, the UOC has become a driving force for transformation and territorial equity. Its internationally pioneering online learning model allows people from all areas to study and work without leaving their hometowns.

In Suera, a small village in the province of Castelló, music teacher Maria José Serrano knows this well. For 10 years, she combined work, civil service exams and family life while studying for a Bachelor's Degree in Catalan Language and Literature. "The UOC has adapted perfectly to my needs, which have changed over the 10 years I've been studying on and off," she said. For her, distance learning has been a way to keep growing academically without giving up her roots. "The bachelor's degree and exams were part of my life in turns: if I had exams coming up, everything else had to wait, until I passed and became a permanent civil servant," she explained.

The final months of her studies coincided with a difficult period in her personal life, marked by a family illness: "My mind and my time needed to be where they had to be. But everything passes, life goes on, and I finally graduated." She added, emotionally, that "all the time and effort I put into my UOC studies were worth it." Her story captures what the UOC represents for many students in rural areas: a space of opportunity and flexible learning, able to adapt to the rhythms and realities of the places they call home.

Education and local roots

Álvaro Romero's story also highlights this transformative power. Speaking from his hometown of Sot de Ferrer, in the province of Castelló, where 30 years ago the lack of infrastructure made attending university virtually impossible, he recalled: "Mobility in rural areas three decades ago was severely limited by poor transport infrastructure and inadequate public services." Romero had to give up his university studies to support his family. "My story began more than 30 years ago, when a family health problem, which also brought financial hardship, forced me to abandon my university studies and take on the responsibility of providing for my family."

For years, he worked in precarious jobs, but the dream of completing his education never left him. "I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of earning a university degree, while also serving as a source of inspiration and motivation for my daughter."

When he discovered the UOC, he saw it as a new beginning. "Suddenly, a whole new scenario opened up: all the barriers that had kept me from studying at 20 had disappeared thanks to online learning." Now with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Sciences to his name, he said: "Thanks to the UOC, and to perseverance, I've managed to turn around the life that fate once seemed determined to assign me."

The social value of education

For Ana María Soto, a special needs teacher from a small village in Soria, education has also been a matter of vocation and commitment. Inspired by her younger sister, who has Down syndrome, she decided to study for a Master's Degree in Learning Difficulties and Language Disorders. "She has Down syndrome and has been my inspiration throughout this academic and professional journey," she said.

The online format allowed her to combine study and work: "I completed the master's while working. I'm a special needs teacher. For me, being able to study and work at the same time was a real advantage, because I could apply what I was learning. It's been a really fruitful experience." Soto now feels more confident than ever. "Thanks to this qualification, I can say I feel better prepared and eager to keep learning more and more." As her story shows, the ability to study without having to relocate enables qualified professionals to continue training while improving lives in their local communities.

A university rooted in rural life

The stories of Serrano, Romero and Soto put a human face to what the UOC has been championing for more than three decades: a university that is open, inclusive and connected to its surroundings. With over 133,000 graduates since it was founded 31 years ago, the UOC has built a diverse and decentralized community. Projects such as the UOC Rural Network and the new SpinUOC Rural Awards, which recognize academic projects linked to local communities, are part of a broader strategy to reduce territorial inequalities and strengthen social cohesion.

The university has also recently signed the European Union's Declaration on the future of rural areas, which advocates for sustainable and digital development for rural regions. In line with this, it promotes initiatives such as ConectArt-e, which brings together art, culture and tourism to revitalize the Sénia area, as well as training programmes for unemployed women in rural areas, aimed at improving employability and fostering leadership. All of these initiatives share a single vision: to make the university accessible in places that other institutions can't reach, and to provide people with new tools to study, start businesses or innovate without having to leave their hometowns.

Learning without borders

Enric Guimó, who finished his Bachelor's Degree in History, Geography and Art History last year, said: "We need to boost the rural world's self-esteem; we have unique things here, too." A resident of La Pobla de Segur in Lleida, Guimó devoted his bachelor's degree final project to studying the role of a neighbourhood association called Comú de Particulars in the town's industrial development during the 19th century. His research highlights how collective initiative and local management acted as drivers of entrepreneurship in a rural setting, showing that talent and creativity are not the exclusive preserve of cities. Online university education has thus become a key ally in tackling depopulation, fostering local entrepreneurship and promoting equal opportunities.

Graduation ceremonies in Madrid, Barcelona and online

This November and December's graduation ceremonies will not only be an academic celebration, but also a tribute to all those who have transformed their lives through education while staying in their hometowns. From Suera and Soria to every corner of the map, these voices remind us that university studies can reach as far as the internet connection allows. Because, as their stories show, learning knows no borders and the future of knowledge is also being shaped in rural communities.

The ceremonies will take place at the Gran Teatro Príncipe Pío in Madrid on 13 November and at La Farga in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat on 13 December. Those unable to attend in person will be able to watch and take part in the academic celebrations live, from wherever they are.