Schellhammer Business School (reviews)

I have just done my Masters at SBS (MA in Organisational Psychology) and below I want to provide the full, unfortunately not so positive, picture. I have no clue where all the positive reviews are coming from – most likely they are paying for them as 99% of them do not reflect reality at all. As it doesn’t fit in 1 review, I will split it, to offer the full picture. Contact me if you’d like to know more.

Let’s start positively – I have met several very knowledgeable and nice people among the teachers. Some are truly willing to teach you and help you grow. But do note that these people are not paid enough and outside of their actual teaching hours which means you will receive little to no support outside class unless the teacher is willing to go the extra mile with no compensation. This is where the „positives“ end.

Organisationally – tuition fees are unclear, they will charge you whatever they can get away with based on your nationality (e.g. Mozambique 700eur to Netherlands 12000eur so quite the range) and you will find out randomly when you talk to your peers after enrolling. This will be labelled as „scholarship“ but it doesn’t have anything to do with your previous grades or performance. Everything is payable as opposed to standard practice in serious academic institutions – for example if you need thesis deadline extension, it is, of course, possible – for about 2K EUR. Everything and anything you pay them is non-refundable, of course. There is also insanely high staff turnover, as usually the better teachers leave the moment they find a better job in the area – often these teachers must teach there because the job market in Malaga/Cadiz province is ridiculously saturated and it is not easy to find another employment. Career days are a joke – people from hotels come to recruit cheap labour (600eur/month internship or unpaid at all) but no real professional opportunities are offered – if by some miracle you find anything suitable for you, the uni will charge you money as they have „provided“ you with this opportunity. Personally I was advised and referred several times by a staff member who went the extra mile with my CV and job applications but this is not the norm, as they definitely don’t have the resources to do this for everyone.

Academically – they should not have the right to call themselves a higher educational institution. There is no clear curriculum, they are changing subjects all the time – if you dared to apply it will certainly not be the same subjects as are listed on the website. For which they have a little legal note written there but that is just to cover their behinds obviously. Teachers are preparing their own syllabus with almost a free-hand, often far from what would be challenging on an actual Masters academical level. Unfortunately, AI use for cheating purposes is not strictly punished – oftentimes students will get away with it despite the instructors’ full awareness of this practice, as the instructors do not have the resources to penalise everyone for it as would be the standard practice in any other reputable academic institution. It’s very demotivating to be putting in organic, honest work while many just pass by using AI for every single thought they’re supposed to produce scot-free.

Language classes are a joke – they do not offer ANY of the languages listed online as they do not have the teachers for them. There is a Spanish class – divided between beginners and those who have already come across it, so if you’d think of improving your Spanish from B2 and higher level – don‘t even think about it as the „non-beginner“ class will not be challenging enough by far. There are English classes which are „mandatory“ for students with lack of English skills but again, no courses on e.g. Business English provided, which are a standard at other universities.

Thesis writing is an absolute chaos. The guidelines are extremely vague and sometimes conflicting with what is said in class. Do not expect actual academic support – you will choose your topic and you’ll be asigned „Thesis Advisor“ which will be one of the underpaid teachers who will NOT be informed of this assignment and thus will NOT be compensated for it (as they are only paid for teaching hours and not full-time). This means that depending on your TA you will either receive some minor support out of the potential „goodness“ of the specific teacher but in reality, all is decided and „reviewed“ by the Dean – currently Prof. Sousa. „Reviewed“ is because he will only judge based on whether you have followed their template mainly regarding formatting but not content. Which means when you ask for feedback on your 60 page document you’ll often receive „Please follow the template“ which will get your thesis to „passing“ grade but if you want to actually better yourself in academic research and writing, don’t expect that here since their regular procedure doesn’t strive to help every student get to their best. Grading is thus based not on content or someone actually thoroughly reading your thesis (nor there are clear grading guidelines as is more than common in other universities).

Facilities – the building on campus is okay, but doesn‘t reflect the tuition amount at all. It is far from everything which means you either have to pay for school bus (expensive), figure out Spanish public transport (bus is about 7min walk) or have a car/motorcycle. There is a cafe on campus which is owned by the owners of SBS with a minor discount for SBS students but that means that there is not even a microwave or water kettle available for students – so that they would go spend money in that cafe if they want to have hot meal during their day.

For people considering to apply: please be warned – if you can choose another institution for your development, do so. This university will not challenge you academically nor professionaly. It is a deceiving marketing practice at the very least – scam is the correct word unfortunately. Students that were seen sleeping/obviously using AI to answer absolutely basic (definitely not Masters level of knowledge required) questions asked by teachers IN CLASS then use AI to write on their LinkedIn how enriching and challenging this experience was after their graduation. Moreover, the university praises and advocates for the above mentioned fake social media behaviour even though they are well-aware of the scam they are running and the quality of students they enroll – no entrance exams required, of course. In fact, the university administration used AI to prepare their graduation speech for last year 🙂 Make of that what you will.

If you have applied and now cannot go back as you would loose all the tuition fees paid: challenge yourself during this time. Make sure to do all your courses diligently so that you can make the most out of this experience focusing on your academic growth. Ask an external thesis advisor to guide you if you want to actually improve your academic research and writing skills. Do the voluntary tasks during the courses, ask the teachers you deem knowledgeable and interesting for more info about their field of expertise, additional literature etc. You have to make it count yourself, as no one else will in this place – once you paid, your growth and development is irrelevant to the university with the exception of a few staff members that care.

I have also submitted this review via Google, see how they don’t reply as opposed to the positive ones, because they know all of the above is true 🙂

This so-called “university” is nothing more than a rented building in the middle of nowhere, with no proper accommodation options nearby. The school bus fees are extremely high, and the accommodation they do offer is located far from campus.

Tuition fees are inconsistently charged — each student pays based on what the school claims they can afford, which means some end up paying double what others do for the same program. They also dismissed some of the kind and helpful admissions staff after conflicts with the dean, who appears to run things unethically.

To make matters worse, the degree you receive is not recognized and essentially worthless. I unenrolled after just one semester. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.

They market themselves as a legitimate university, but it’s nothing more than a money-making scheme. I enrolled in the Master of Arts in International Relations, only to arrive and find that the entire course syllabus had been changed, without any prior notice. The new content had nothing to do with my field of study. When I confronted the administration, they brushed it off as “normal.” Only after I threatened legal action did they even pretend to care. They quickly threw together a “new” syllabus to appease me, but it was a joke. The professors ignored it entirely and taught whatever they felt like.
To make matters worse, I was the only student in the program. When I asked about it, the head of studies just shrugged and said these things happen. In the second semester, two more students joined, barely enough to call it a class.
Over time, we discovered that everyone was paying wildly different tuition fees. They hide this by handing out so-called “scholarships,” but it’s just a pricing manipulation strategy. If you’re from a wealthier country, they assume you can pay full price. Meanwhile, students from Africa were paying as little as €1,000 for the entire year, while others from Germany were charged the full €10,000+, and students from Poland or Italy somewhere in between. The “scholarship” has nothing to do with need or merit, just how much they think they can get out of you.
The extra charges are endless. They claim student housing is near the school, but it’s far enough that you’re forced to pay an outrageously expensive fee for their private school bus. They find any excuse to squeeze more money out of you.
The administration is a mess. Every person you speak to gives you different information about courses, events, transportation, and rules. There’s zero coordination.
The atmosphere is miserable. No one wants to be there, not the students, staff, nor teachers. The teachers are completely unqualified. They throw up poorly made PowerPoint presentations riddled with grammar errors, copy-pasted from textbooks, and then read them out loud. They don’t answer questions properly, they lack any mastery of the subject, and they’re totally unprepared to teach at the master’s level and university level.
This program didn’t challenge me, didn’t teach me, and didn’t prepare me. I learned nothing of value. If I hadn’t enrolled, I would be in the exact same place.
Avoid this school at all costs.

My overall experience at Schellhammer Business School was positive, especially in terms of location and lifestyle. The campus is situated in a beautiful part of Spain, and the international environment makes it a unique and enriching place to meet people from around the world.

That said, the academic side of the school could use improvement. While I appreciated some of the course content, the overall quality of instruction varied, and many professors lacked the engagement and depth I expected from a business program. The intention behind the teaching didn’t always feel strong, and I believe both staff and students could benefit from a more structured and rigorous academic environment.

That being said, if you’re looking for an international experience, cultural exchange, and a relaxed setting rather than a highly intensive academic path, SBS offers something quite special. It was a memorable chapter in my life — just not one focused purely on academic excellence.