Student review [#101657] for Criminology
at Universidad Internacional de Valencia

My experience with the International University of Valencia (VIU) has evolved from an academic disappointment to a legal and ethical crisis of confidence.

1. False Advertising Confirmed, Over 140 Days of Waiting and Termination: I applied for an internship on October 24, 2025. On March 16, 2026, after a 143-day wait, the university confirmed in writing that it was not possible to assign me a placement due to a lack of agreements and asked me to find one myself. This explicitly contradicts the “Direct Assignment” option they sold me, along with promises of agreements with the EU and the UN for internships in Ireland.

Internships are mandatory; without them, the degree is inaccessible. Furthermore, the suggestion that I “find my own placement” is unrealistic and impossible for an international student without local networks, leaving me in a dead end and stalling my career plans in Ireland.

Given this fundamental breach, I formally notified the university of my intention to terminate my contract on March 16th. However, the university is ignoring my termination: they continue to send automated course notifications, are not stopping charges, and are refusing to process a refund, acting as if the contract were still in effect.

2. Total Collapse of Support Channels: I have exhausted all internal channels without obtaining any real solution:
– VIUparaTi: My complaint was filed without a substantive response.
– Career Coordination and Management: They ignored my requests for urgency and alternatives.
– Student Advocate: Declared that “he can only take improvement measures” and referred the case to the GDPR team, without decision-making power.

The result is a “passing the buck” system where no department takes responsibility. This is not an isolated case: the same ineffectiveness has been seen in massive student complaints about:
– Unfair invalidation of exams by the facial recognition system (Smowl) without objective evidence.
– Poorly written exams with invalid options that prevented correct answers.

Conclusion: The student support structure exists on paper, but in practice it is ineffective. It does not resolve conflicts, does not protect students, and has no power to overturn administrative or academic decisions.

3. Refusal to Provide My Data (GDPR): I requested, under Article 15 of the GDPR, the recordings of my registration calls (May-September 2025). The university responded with incomplete data and, after my complaint, categorically stated that these recordings “do not exist,” contradicting its own quality-based recording policy.
To date, they have not provided any technical evidence (logs or records) to demonstrate why there are no recordings of the sales phase.

4. Current Situation: As of today, May 7, 2026, the university has ignored my requests for withdrawal or refund, based on “closed enrollment” clauses and failed to fulfill its essential obligation to provide the contracted service.

Advice for prospective students: Don’t trust promises of “international agreements” or the “Direct Assignment” option. Don’t expect any internal department (VIUparaTi, Coordination, Ombudsman) to help you: their track record shows they ignore serious complaints and pass the buck.

If you live outside of Spain, exercise extreme caution: The distance and lack of quick access to local oversight bodies make you vulnerable to the university ignoring your cancellations and illegally charging you. My case demonstrates that the university prioritizes revenue over the law, exploiting the vulnerability of international students who cannot defend themselves as quickly as local students.
If you value legal transparency, keeping promises, and a real chance of graduating, avoid this university.