Universitat de Barcelona
Quick facts
- City
- Barcelona
- Country
- Spain
- Type
- Public
- Founded
- 1450
- Students
- 51,880
- International students
- 15 %
- National ranking
- #1
- International ranking
- #165
- Tuition (local students)
- €1,061
- Guide score
- 7.8/10
Official website: www.ub.edu
Overview
The Universitat de Barcelona (UB) is Spain's highest-ranked university in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (joint 165th in the world, first in Spain) and one of the oldest on the Iberian Peninsula, founded in 1450. Official 2024-25 figures count 41,020 bachelor's, 5,622 official master's and 5,238 trainee researchers, with a wider community of more than 60,000 when postgraduate programmes are included. About 15% of students come from overseas. Sixteen faculties sit on several urban campuses, from the historic building on Plaça Universitat to Diagonal, Pedralbes, Clínic and Bellvitge.
Barcelona's Mediterranean setting, bilingual Catalan/Spanish culture and social scene make UB one of Europe's most requested destinations for international and exchange students. Public bachelor's tuition is low by Western European standards; housing is the expensive part.
Academic programs
UB offers 74 bachelor's degrees, 15 simultaneous-study pathways, 170 official master's and 47 doctoral programmes across health sciences, experimental sciences, social sciences, humanities and education. Medicine (Campus Clínic and Bellvitge), Psychology, Biology, Pharmacy, Law, ADE and History are particularly strong and heavily demanded. Most undergraduate teaching is in Catalan and/or Spanish; English-taught options are more common at master's level.
The structure follows Bologna: four-year grados and one- or two-year màsteres. Teaching quality is generally solid, though large first-year groups in popular degrees reduce individual attention. For 2026-27, Catalan public bachelor's tuition is €17.69 per ECTS — about €1,061 for 60 credits — plus small administrative fees. Study Abroad / free-mover bachelor's credits are listed at €90 each. A higher non-EU rate is published for many master's programmes, not as a single bachelor's surcharge.
Campus life
Student life at UB is inseparable from Barcelona. Beaches, parks, a large arts scene and nightlife sit alongside faculty cultural and sports activities. Campus facilities are more modest than at a residential Anglo-Saxon university. Student associations run events, language exchanges (intercambios) and social programmes. ESN Barcelona and similar groups organise a dense Erasmus calendar.
The city is bilingual. Catalan is the usual language of administration and of many lectures; Spanish is everywhere in daily life. International students who arrive with only English will manage socially in tourist and Erasmus circles, but degree-seeking students need Spanish or Catalan at a working level.
Exchange programs
UB is one of Spain's busiest Erasmus destinations. It reports 3,027 current agreements with foreign universities and other institutions, and it hosts a large incoming mobility cohort each year (the official figures booklet highlights growth in inbound foreign mobility students). Exchange students take courses across faculties; many departments offer modules in English or Spanish rather than Catalan for internationals.
The ORI (International Relations Office) runs a welcome programme and buddy system. Places depend on a faculty-level agreement with the home university — you cannot treat UB as an open free-mover Erasmus destination. Apply through your home international office, typically two semesters ahead.
Admissions
Spanish and EU undergraduates apply through the Catalan preinscripció universitària after the PAU/EBAU. The June 2026 window ran from 2 to 26 June, with the first allocation on 10 July; 2027 dates had not been posted by late September 2026 but follow the same late-June pattern. There is a small September vacancy call, not a general spring bachelor's intake. Non-EU applicants generally need UNEDasiss accreditation. Language expectations for undergraduate degrees are typically B2 Spanish or Catalan.
Master's admissions are run by each programme (often January–June). Exchange students are nominated by the home university. UB does not publish a single acceptance rate: Medicine and Dentistry are extremely selective; many other degrees are more accessible.
Student housing
UB has limited Col·legis Majors, and most students rent privately. Barcelona's room market is competitive: shared-flat rooms in Gràcia, Eixample or Sants commonly run €450–700/month, and purpose-built residences can exceed €800–1,200/month. Start early and treat unsolicited rental offers with caution.
Sant Andreu, Horta and L'Hospitalet are cheaper, with metro links to several campuses. Clínic and Bellvitge health students should check the commute before signing a lease in the opposite side of the city.
Career services
UB's Servei d'Ocupabilitat offers job boards, career fairs and CV workshops, and it channels internships through agreements with local and national employers. AQU Catalunya's latest insertion study cited in UB's 2025 figures booklet found 86% of graduates working within a year (90% for master's). Barcelona's tech, tourism and multinational scene helps, especially if you have Catalan as well as Spanish and English.
Personalised career coaching is thinner than at a small private university. Students who want internships should start in the first months, not after exams. The UB name travels well in Spain and Latin America; in the local market, language skills still decide many interviews.
Academic programs
- Medicine
- Law
- Business
- Psychology
- Biology
- Pharmacy
- Economics
- History
- Education
- Fine Arts
Application deadlines
- fall: Late June 2027 (the 2026 Catalan window ran 2 to 26 June)
Exchange
3027 agreements with foreign universities and institutions; one of the largest Erasmus incoming communities in Spain; ORI welcome and buddy support