Universities in Spain for international students
There are 50 public and 33 private universities in Spain as of 2022. International universities in Spain are institutions that offer a first, second and third phase of higher education in Spain in nearly all existing specialties. In Spain, universities are not called institutes. Institutes in Spain are secondary schools where children study from 7th to 12th grade. Universities in Spain are divided into private and public universities. There are also regular international universities in Spain and there are also polytechnic universities. There are online universities and traditional universities. But first things first.
Spanish universities for international students offer first-, second- and third-phase degrees in most existing specialties. While some degree programs are worth going to Spain for while there are others which may not be worth studying abroad for.
Which Spanish universities are considered to be the best?
Let’s look at the top 10 state universities in Spain according to the national U-Ranking (2021):
1) Pompeu Fabra / Carlos III / Catalan Polytechnic 2) Autonomous University of Barcelona / Polytechnic of Valencia
3) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid / University of Cantabria / Polytechnic of Madrid / University of Barcelona / Rovira and Virgili
Here is the list of private universities in Spain for international students, ranked by the number of grado degrees that made it into the top 50 of El Mundo in 2021:
1) University of Navarra (12 grados)
2) Ramon Llull University (6 grados)
3) Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (4 grados)
4) European University (3 grado)
5) San Pablo / Deusto University / Alfonso X (two grados each)
6) Camilo José Cela / Cardinal Herrera / ESIC / Francisco de Vitoria / International University of Catalonia (one grado each)
As a general rule, it is easier to enter private universities than public ones since you don’t have to take the “dreaded” entrance exam and also because it’s less competitive. Nevertheless, it is not easy to get into the best private universities either.
Once again: if a university is private, it does not mean that it is in any way inferior. It’s just that they are privately funded unlike public universities. Private international universities in Spain are very good: CEU San Pablo, Universidad de Navarra, UIC, Camino José Cela, Francisco de Vitoria, Ramon Llull and so on.
There are, however, some universities that AcademSpain does not recommend due to the price/quality ratio like the Universidad Europea de Madrid, for instance.
In Spain, there are regular universities and then there are polytechnic universities. For example, the University of Valencia is the Polytechnic University of Valencia. The University of Madrid – Polytechnic University of Madrid. Polytechnic universities are geared toward future engineers, architects and where industrial specialties are taught.
Regular universities also have these specialties but not at such a high level. But such universities have the widest choice of degree and majors in the field of both fundamental and applied education.
In Spain there are three phases of higher education.
The first phase lasts four years, resulting in an undergraduate or “grado degree“. The first phase of higher education in Spain is available in all fields of study: humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. At the end of the second phase, a Master’s degree is awarded. The third phase of education is research and the scientific activities which is a doctorate called “Doctorado“.
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As a general rule, if a university ranks high as a “grado” in any field, it also has a high ranking at the Master’s level. For example, the University of the Balearic Islands ranks equally high in tourism training in both grado and Master’s. Nevertheless, we recommend that you re-examine the university rankings before beginning your second cycle (Master’s) program. Maybe the difference between the grado and master positions could be significant.
If you already know what you would like to study in Spain, there are rankings in terms of field of study too.
For example, if you want to study economics, the best places to study economics are in Barcelona (Pompeu Fabra, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona), Madrid (Universidad Carlos III) and Navarra (Universidad Navarra).
For studying in Spain medicine, you should go to the Private University of Navarra (Universidad de Navarra), the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), the University of Barcelona (Universidad de Barcelona).
If you want to improve your skills and knowledge of tourism, you should apply to the Universidad de Islas Baleares, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and Universidad de Málaga.
It should be noted that it does not always make sense to travel to Spain to study certain degrees that may be have a better reputation in your native country. Spain has some department There are only a few universities which offer programs to those who have not yet declared a major. Student who would like to decide on their field of study at a later time can apply for what is called “grado abierto”.
Typically the tuition fees at public universities are cheaper than private ones and significantly lower. But, there are exceptions. In 2014, the public universities in Madrid eliminated state aid for international students, so that the tuition fees for private and non-private universities end up being the same (about 7,000 EUR per year.) Every university in Spain has the right to raise prices for international students.
Geographically, most Spanish universities are located in Barcelona (18 private and 10 public) and Madrid (24 private and 7 public). Many universities are located in the different cities in the community of Andalusia (11 public and 5 private in Seville, Granada, Málaga, Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Jaén and Huelva) and in the Community of Valencia(6 private and 6 public in Valencia, Alicante and Castellón).
International universities in Spain have huge campuses and are often located far from one another. For example, the University of Barcelona has campuses all over the city and the University of Valencia has one of its campuses in a neighboring city.
University campuses in Spain are large student areas with their own dining halls and gymnasiums. In private universities these areas are usually more modern and developed.
If we are talking about the quality of higher education in Spain, it is unlikely that you will find Spanish universities in the rankings of the best in the world. Nevertheless, their positions are higher than many other countries.
See tuition fees at Spanish universities and rankings of Spanish universities by department.
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