Last year alone, the bank supported more than 162,000 students, professionals and SMEs through Santander Universities.

In its 25 years of supporting education, entrepreneurship and employment, Banco Santander has awarded over EUR 2.1 billion in more than 790,000 scholarships and grants.

Madrid, 7 March 2022.
Banco Santander, through Santander Universidades, invested EUR 106 million in aid to more than 162,000 students, professionals, startups and SMEs in 2021.

To bolster its commitment to lifelong learning, excellence and equal opportunity, it awarded 388,000 scholarships from 2019 to 2021, up 94% on its pledge to help 200,000 people with scholarships, internships and entrepreneurship programmes.

Last year alone, more than 40,600 people benefited from study, research and academic mobility grants; over 23,100 from entrepreneurship programmes through the global Santander X initiative; and almost 98,500 from internships and upskilling and re-skilling programmes to boost employability.

Upskilling and re-skilling heavily underpinned the programmes in a year where the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing socio-economic crisis shaped a new jobs landscape. Santander made a huge effort to enhance its scholarship proposition with programmes open to all ages and profiles. They promote digital and other skills in high demand, plus access to universities, academic excellence and equal opportunity.

Banco Santander and its support for higher education

Banco Santander, the leader in responsible banking, is firmly committed to progress and inclusive sustainable growth. Through Santander Universities, it has been a pioneering stalwart of education, entrepreneurship and employment for 25 years, standing out among the world's financial institutions. So far, Santander has helped some 790,000 students, professionals, startups and SMEs with over 2.1 billion euros and partnerships with more than 1,000 universities in 15 countries.