“Otra Vuelta,” the UNR’s secondary education program that is a pioneer in the national university system, continues to expand its reach: in August, diplomas were awarded to 75 new graduates. For the second semester of 2026, 250 new students have enrolled. Currently, more than 700 people are enrolled.
In 2022, the Universidad Nacional de Rosario It launched the Otra Vuelta program, the first hybrid secondary education program within the national university system. Four years after its creation, the program already has more than 380 graduates and currently supports the educational journey of 750 students.
The initiative, spearheaded by the current administration, was born from a commitment to offer an innovative alternative for young people and adults in Rosario and the surrounding region to access, complete, and finish their secondary education. Demand continues to grow: 250 new students enrolled for the second semester of 2026, while approximately 7000 people are currently pre-registered and awaiting an opening.
During August, diplomas were awarded to 75 new graduates who completed their secondary education at this institution. The ceremony took place at the Faculty of Biochemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the National University of Rosario (UNR), with authorities and family members in attendance.
“This program is one of the most beautiful and wonderful things we’ve done in recent years. I want to congratulate the students who are going through this stage, because you don’t know the example you’re setting for us and the whole world with your decision to return to your studies and how that inspires so many other people. Making the decision to return is very challenging, and not everyone can do that. You were able to do it, and in that lies an extraordinary message of hope for many people who believe that a setback can be a definitive frustration,” commented Rector Franco Bartolacci.
He also emphasized that the Otra Vuelta Program continues to grow despite the difficult national budget situation. “Every day we receive people who come to our university, who join one of its programs, with their fears, their desires, their uncertainties. At the same time, every day we are awarding diplomas that certify that those dreams have been fulfilled. We believe that the University is much more than the training of professionals, and above all, that the UNR is much more than a university, because we are convinced that education is what changes our lives, saves us, and transforms us forever, individually and collectively. That is why we put so much effort into maintaining everything despite the current circumstances.”
Otra Vuelta began with three classrooms in 2022 and, four years after its creation, has significantly expanded its reach. Currently, it has more than 20 classrooms offering 100% online courses and another 20 distributed throughout the city. Furthermore, in 2025, the first group of students who completed their entire secondary education within the program graduated.
Currently, Otra Vuelta has course spaces in the Parque del Mercado, the Municipal District Centers (CMD) West and Northwest, the UNR Government Headquarters, the Perspectivas Civil Association, the Cuidar Las Flores Sur Center, the UNR Sarmiento and Córdoba Headquarters, the Castagnetto House of Culture and the Islas Malvinas Neighborhood Association.
In this way, the UNR sustains and deepens a unique experience within the national university system, reaffirming its commitment to the right to education. The program seeks to provide young people and adults with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary education that strengthens their opportunities for social participation and their capacity to intervene in and transform the social, political, and institutional realities of the contexts in which they participate.
Day by day, Otra Vuelta continues to expand its reach and strengthen its territorial presence, with the goal of generating new educational opportunities and supporting more and more people in realizing their right to complete their secondary education, transforming personal trajectories and opening new possibilities for the future.
Study Plan
The curriculum for the Bachelor of Social Sciences, modality of Permanent Education for Young People and Adults – Distance Education, approved by Resolution No. 896/2022 of the Superior Council of the UNR, includes didactic and curricular strategies that recognize the diversity of the starting points of the students and recover their life experiences as part of the process of building new knowledge.
The proposal aims to promote democratic, empowering, and transformative learning, while also supporting students' educational pathways. To achieve this, it intensively incorporates digital technologies and audiovisual resources with a pedagogical purpose.
Within this framework, Otra Vuelta proposes a mixed course format that combines virtual instances, developed through the University campus and the Comunidades platform, with face-to-face meetings of a territorial nature in different points of Rosario.
The curriculum is structured into two training cycles that offer multiple approaches based on multi- and interdisciplinary problem situations, aimed at producing socially significant learning. The Basic Training Cycle comprises four comprehensive modules, while the Specialized Training Cycle includes one comprehensive module. In total, the five modules are developed over two and a half years.
Stories of dreams fulfilled
The Otra Vuelta program is also built on stories. Behind each degree are journeys marked by parenthood, caregiving responsibilities, precarious work, interruptions in schooling, and, above all, the decision to return to their studies. These are stories of people who found a new opportunity to complete a stage of their lives that had been left unfinished. And, in many cases, that achievement wasn't the end of the line: several of the new graduates have already begun their university studies.
Among these stories is that of Rosa and Romina, mother and daughter, who in 2026 graduated after completing their secondary education together. They both navigated the process while managing their family and caregiving responsibilities, and found in online learning a fundamental tool to enable them to continue their studies.
“I’m so happy, at my age, to have achieved this. I’m so grateful to my teachers, my classmates, and my daughter too. We were able to finish together. That’s so beautiful, unforgettable,” Rosa said.
The family story added another chapter during the latest graduation ceremony: Rosa's niece also received her diploma, joining the ranks of graduates in a family that, in 2026, managed to turn a long-held dream into a shared celebration. Three members of the same family found in Otra Vuelta the opportunity to return to their studies, complete their academic journeys, and open new doors for the future.
Bartolacci also highlighted the daily effort of those who return to their studies in contexts marked by work, family care, and economic hardship. “We especially congratulate them for their courage in deciding to return to finish their studies and for their determination to continue their coursework despite family and work responsibilities. Defending this program is defending the right to a future,” she stated.
Behind every graduation lies a broader horizon. Otra Vuelta not only allows students to complete an educational stage, but also opens the possibility of envisioning new paths, pursuing a university degree, accessing better job opportunities, and ultimately, daring to imagine futures that once seemed more distant. For each person who returns to their studies, the program transforms a long-held dream into a concrete possibility.
Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photographer: Karen Roeschlin