ESEI Hosts the APUNE Barcelona Regional Meeting 2026
On 16 and 17 April 2026, ESEI International Business School welcomed approximately 60 professionals to its Barcelona campus for the APUNE Barcelona Regional Meeting 2026. The two-day event brought together representatives from Spanish and American universities, accommodation providers, service providers, and experts in security, psychology and legal affairs, including representatives from the Mossos d’Esquadra.
The meeting also marked an important institutional milestone for ESEI: its official launch as a member of APUNE, celebrated by hosting the association’s first regional event on the ESEI campus.
About APUNE
Founded in 1968, APUNE (the Association of North American University Programs in Spain) is the oldest non-profit association in Europe dedicated to supporting American study abroad programmes in Spain. With hundreds of directors and senior staff across its network, APUNE focuses on quality assurance, professional development, and fostering academic exchange between the United States and Spain.
ESEI’s membership in APUNE reflects the school’s continued commitment to building meaningful connections within the international education community and to supporting the students and institutions that choose Barcelona as a study abroad destination.
Day One: Student Accommodation in Barcelona
The first day was dedicated entirely to student accommodation as a strategic component of international programmes, with a focus on its direct impact on student recruitment, student experience and institutional reputation.
Participants were presented with a comprehensive picture of the current accommodation landscape in Barcelona, supported by 2025 data and sector trends. Three main accommodation models were examined in depth:
Host families continue to offer a route to genuine cultural immersion, though families increasingly respond less to traditional local models. The session highlighted the importance of clearly defining and training families on immersion objectives to maintain the quality of the experience.
Student residences are facing growing challenges, including a reduction in shared rooms, 10-month contracts and recurring issues around cleaning and maintenance.
Shared apartments offer lower institutional control and have produced poorer reported student experiences, with challenges including neighbour conflicts, cohabitation difficulties and significant price volatility.
The legal framework governing student accommodation in Barcelona was also addressed in detail, including the differences between permanent housing leases and seasonal rentals, municipal regulations on student residences, price caps aligned with public housing standards, and the absence of specific regulation for room-by-room rentals. Practical issues such as deposits, contract duration, subletting, empadronamiento and the risk of fraudulent practices were also covered.
The day concluded with group work on practical case studies, followed by a collective discussion comparing solutions and identifying institutional best practices. Participants proposed the creation of collaborative support networks among institutions, including shared negotiation benchmarks, resource networks covering health and safety recommendations, and the exchange of operational protocols.
Day Two: The APUNE Barcelona Regional Meeting
The second day broadened the focus to cover a wider range of academic, administrative and student welfare topics relevant to North American study abroad programmes in Spain.
The session opened with welcome remarks from Kim Griffin, Executive Director of APUNE, and Simisola Okoya, Head of Admissions at ESEI Barcelona. Rosa Aguilá from the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona presented on U.S. Consular Services, and Jane Streit from American Citizen Services at the U.S. Embassy joined via videoconference to address pre-departure orientations.
A speed dating style session with external collaborators and service providers gave participants the opportunity to make direct professional connections in a focused format.
Jordi Estera from ESEI delivered a keynote presentation titled “Delivering Safe and Career-Focused Study Abroad Experiences: The ESEI Model,” sharing ESEI’s approach to supporting international students through a combination of academic rigour, career development and pastoral care.
The afternoon included a specialised workshop on Sexual Assault Response Protocols, covering medical, psychological and institutional responses. Contributors included representatives from the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Office for Victim Support from the Departament de Justícia i Qualitat Democràtica, and social workers and psychologists specialising in prevention, detection and victim support. The session was followed by an open Q&A before the official closure of the regional meeting.
A Strengthened Commitment to International Education
The APUNE Barcelona Regional Meeting 2026 reinforced ESEI’s role as an active and committed partner within the international education ecosystem in Spain. Across two days, participants shared knowledge, debated challenges and built the kind of professional relationships that make a genuine difference to the quality of study abroad experiences.
For ESEI, the event was both a celebration of a new institutional membership and a demonstration of the values that membership reflects: a commitment to student safety, wellbeing and the highest standards of international education.
Explore ESEI’s Programmes
👉 If you’re considering starting your own journey in Barcelona, explore ESEI’s Short Courses, Bachelor’s and Master’s and MBA programmes and see how we can support you on your study abroad journey.
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