José Luis Mendoza, UCAM founder, passed away almost three years ago without seeing his desire to open a university campus in Madrid materialise. He was convinced that this was where he could provide a better service to students, their families, society and the Church; a growth encouraged by Pope Francis, who expressed his desire for UCAM to open a university campus in Madrid on the 25th anniversary of the institution when he said: ‘I hope that you will continue to move forward, committing yourselves more and more to service’. This afternoon this wish has become a reality. A wish that was always shared by José Luis's ‘brother’ Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, who has put all his efforts into this process led by María Dolores García, José Luis' wife and current president of the University.

This centre is part of the Alma Mater Higher Education Centre, in collaboration with the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), and consists of two buildings on a 11,543 m² plot at Avenida de la Constitución, 190, in Torrejón de Ardoz. It is the first of several centres that UCAM plans to open in Madrid. The ceremony presided over by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, together with the UCAM President, María Dolores García Mascarell, and the COE President, Alejandro Blanco, as well as various civil, academic, ecclesiastical and sporting authorities, took place at the facilities themselves, located in Torrejón de Ardoz.

UCAM, with campuses in Murcia and Cartagena, also has fifteen international offices on four continents, two Spanish Schools, in Dubai and Alexandria, and strategic projects such as the International Football Academy in Philadelphia. It has more than 22,000 students this year, of which almost 6,000 come from 135 different countries.

UCAM arrives in the Spanish capital with a track record of more than two decades of growth, international presence and recognised prestige. This is endorsed by rankings such as Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which awarded UCAM its highest rating, 5 stars in its Stars Rating; as well as the QS World University Ranking 2026 the most valued university ranking in the world, which has included UCAM among the 1,501 best universities in the world for the first time, highlighting its prestige in internationalisation. These figures are in addition to those of other international rankings, such as the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, which places the university as the 40th university in the world in terms of educational quality, and Forbes magazine, which places it among the 20 best universities in Spain. Having obtained the Transparency Accreditation according to the HAZ Foundation, UCAM is among the best rated private institutions, presenting its new campus in Madrid as a pole of international attraction for students and as an engine for the generation of wealth, qualified employment and research and social activity in the surroundings of Torrejón and the metropolitan area of Madrid.

In her speech, Isabel Díaz Ayuso stated that ‘this new campus is the dream of José Luis Mendoza, the person who has been most committed to linking the university with sports, which is why today we honour and remember him with this event’. On the other hand, she assured: ‘We share objectives such as academic excellence, internationalisation, sport as a way of life, Olympic values and innovation, in a project that is based on fundamental values for life, starting with work, teamwork, self-improvement, effort and also Catholic values based on freedom, life, truth and rationality’.

The UCAM president, María Dolores García Mascarell, emphasised that ‘this campus specialising in nutrition, sports and health is the materialisation of a desire that José Luis pursued insistently for years, with the support of the president of the Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco’. She also insisted that ‘we will continue to promote excellent research, the training of competent professionals and, above all, free, discerning and caring people’.

For his part, the COE president, Alejandro Blanco, recalled the arduous road that has led to this historic day, eliciting an emotional and spontaneous round of applause from the audience for José Luis Mendoza, whom he referred to on several occasions as ‘my brother’. During his speech, he said that ‘perhaps we cannot fully appreciate the significance of what we are doing. This is the first Olympic committee to have a university’. He also conveyed the congratulations that the president of the International Olympic Committee and double world swimming champion, Kirsty Coventry, has sent in a letter to UCAM and the COE for the creation of this campus: ‘Thank you for placing athletes at the middle and for inspiring others with your vision’.

The event was attended by more than 400 people including authorities, institutional representatives, the academic community and athletes, including 8 Olympians linked to the UCAM who have accumulated a total of 21 medals: Saúl Craviotto, Carolina Marín, David Cal, Lidia Valentín, Adriana Cerezo, Damián Quintero, Marcus Cooper and Teresa Portela. UCAM, known internationally as 'The University of Sport', thus marks a milestone in its national expansion and in the academic projection of Spanish Olympism from the capital

In this respect, the mayor of Torrejón de Ardoz, Alejandro Navarro, has highlighted ‘the favourable impact that it will have on the local economy and from which many people from Torrejón de Ardoz will directly benefit with the arrival of numerous national and foreign students.’

For his part, Monsignor Antonio Prieto, bishop of the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares, where the new campus is located, emphasised that ‘the objective is to help and serve the students, offering them an education of outstanding quality, enriched with the ethical and moral values of the Gospel’.

In September 2026, the new campus will commence operations with an academic offering focused on high-demand degrees such as Physiotherapy, Psychology, Nursing, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and Food Science and Technology.

In September 2026, the new campus will commence operations with an academic offering focused on high-demand degrees in which UCAM has proven expertise. These include degrees in Physiotherapy, Psychology, Nursing, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and Food Science and Technology. The enrolment period for these studies will open soon; these programmes will be taught using UCAM's own teaching model, based on small groups, personalised tutorials, intensive practical training and a clear focus on employability, in a unique ecosystem that integrates sport, health and nutrition. However, it is expected that academic activity will already be underway in February, as the UCAM headquarters for online degree examinations.

Visit to the facilities

At the stroke of 6pm, the visit of the authorities, members of the Governing Council and the San Antonio University Foundation, and executives of the Spanish Olympic Committee began. It was the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who officially inaugurated the modern facilities of the campus, in which UCAM has been investing for two years, cutting the ribbon prepared for the occasion.

Together with the respective presidents of the UCAM and the COE, they first attended the blessing of the facilities by the bishop of Alcalá de Henares, Monsignor Antonio Prieto, in the presence of the rector of the university, Josefina García Lozano, and the bishop of Cartagena, Monsignor José Manuel Lorca Planes.

They then began a brief tour of some of the facilities of the new university centre, visiting the chapel and the staff room, laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art technological equipment, as well as various classrooms dedicated to teaching and simulation rooms for student practice in the area of health sciences.

A milestone for higher education and sport

A marquee set up on the site for the occasion welcomed more than 400 attendees to the event, in which the mission and lines of study and research of the new UCAM campus in Madrid were presented by means of a video.

Prior to the closing ceremony, the UCAM president presented Díaz Ayuso with a traditional gift from Murcia: a nativity scene made by the artisan Griñán. For their part, the Olympic athletes present presented her with a complete UCAM kits. The event, marked by an atmosphere of celebration after years of hard work, culminated with a traditional Spanish wine reception.

Contribution to the Community of Madrid

The Alma Mater Centre for Higher Studies, as part of UCAM, covers over 11,500m², with two modern, accessible buildings surrounded by green areas. The campus has specialised classrooms, scientific laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment, study rooms, assembly hall, chapel, cafeteria and relaxation and social areas, creating an environment designed for university education, research and daily academic life

In the first phase, the San Antonio University Foundation, a non-profit institution to which UCAM and the new affiliated centre in Torrejón belong, has invested 20 million Euro, generating employment for 200 people in an emerging area located just half an hour from the centre of Madrid. Added to this is the social work it is already carrying out in the Region of Murcia and a spirit of evangelisation which, together with a strong commitment to teaching and research, form the cornerstones of UCAM's mission.

Contact

UCAM Madrid Campus
Avenida Constitución, 190
28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid
https://www.ucam.edu/madrid
Telephone: (+34) 919 901 234
Email: campusmadrid@ucam.edu