Universidad de Murcia - UMU (reviews)

It is a good university, with good undergraduate and master’s degree programs. However, it seems that the teaching staff’s goal is to have zero empathy and to try to pass the minimum possible number of students so that they do not get inspected. During your university years, you are going to come across at least three professors whose only apparent goal seems to be to make your life miserable, as if you were their enemy.

UMU is a total steal: low tuition and even lower rent compared to Madrid for example. La Mercer is stunningly historic, while Espinardo is functional and easily reachable via public transport or your own car. The clases are a bit aged, aswell as the equipment but in my experience it doesnt affect the experience in almost anything, for me as a student, or to my teachers. The main pros are that it has a massive public transport access, and a cibrant welcoming social life, and of course, and a afordable price tag without the big city tax, and some cons I find are that the June heat is quite brutal.

Broadly speaking, both the university and campus life are very enjoyable, and they promote lots of activities (excursions, workshops, volunteering, etc.). It is also very strong in research, proposing and holding seminars and conferences every month. You can easily build up a wide network of contacts that will help you grow and boost your career.

Unfortunately, I studied Fine Arts and I didn’t like the faculty itself. It’s very old-fashioned and has a hard time accepting or proposing new artistic fields. Some professors are guided by favouritism, while others have legal problems…
Other degrees such as law or computer science have better reviews, but I consider fine arts to be one of the worst degrees offered.

What I like most about this university is the city where it’s located—it’s where I grew up, and that makes it feel familiar and comfortable. However, in terms of academic quality, I think the university is a bit behind compared to others.
Professors greatly shape the overall experience, and while I’ve had some passionate and dedicated teachers, I’ve also had many who show little to no interest—just reading PowerPoints out loud in class or giving the impression that the more students fail, the better.
The educational system feels outdated. It’s not engaging or productive—just endless memorization of terms, dates, authors, and works, without actually gaining a deeper understanding.
Another frustrating aspect is the way you’re penalized for failing. If you don’t pass a subject, you have to pay double the fee to retake it, as if failing wasn’t hard enough already.
So overall, I wouldn’t recommend this university unless major changes are made. I’m not sure if this is specific to my program, but based on what I’ve heard from friends and classmates, it seems to be a widespread issue.