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Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Datos rápidos

Ciudad
Madrid
País
Spain
Tipo
Pública
Fundada en
1293
Estudiantes
64.407
Estudiantes internacionales
13,1 %
Ranking nacional
#2
Ranking internacional
#199
Matrícula (estudiantes locales)
1166 €
Matrícula (internacionales)
7714 €
Nota media de la guía
7,7/10

Web oficial: www.ucm.es

Resumen

The Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) is Spain's largest in-person university and one of its most prestigious public institutions. It traces its history to the Studium Generale authorised in Alcalá de Henares in 1293 and to the university Cardinal Cisneros founded there in 1499. After a first brief move in 1822, it moved permanently to Madrid in 1836, and it has used the Complutense name since 1970. In 2025-26 it had about 64,400 students (roughly 50,300 bachelor's, 7,900 master's and 6,300 doctoral students), of whom 13.1% hold a foreign nationality. It has three campuses: Moncloa (Ciudad Universitaria), Somosaguas and Chamberí.

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, UCM is 199th in the world and 2nd in Spain, after the Universitat de Barcelona. Its strongest QS indicator is employability (85th in the world, 1st in Spain). The university's public status keeps tuition very affordable for Spanish and EU students. The trade-off is that facilities, while functional, can feel dated compared to smaller private institutions.

Oferta académica

UCM offers 74 bachelor's degrees, 22 double degrees and 168 official master's programmes, and 39 degrees include teaching in English. Health sciences are a major strength: according to QS, Dentistry ranks 1st in Spain and 14th in the world, and Medicine and Pharmacy are among the most demanded programmes in the country. The Faculty of Law is historically one of the most respected in the Spanish-speaking world, and the Faculty of Information Sciences (Journalism and Communication) is regularly ranked top in Spain.

Other strengths include Psychology, Political Science, Philosophy and Philology, Fine Arts and Veterinary Science. Research output is among the highest in Spain, especially in biomedicine, chemistry and the social sciences. Classes tend to be large in the first years but become more specialised and manageable in later semesters.

Vida en el campus

UCM's Ciudad Universitaria campus in Moncloa is a sprawling, park-like district in north-west Madrid shared with other institutions. It feels like a self-contained university town within the city, with sports facilities, libraries, cafeterias and green spaces. The Somosaguas campus (Pozuelo de Alarcón), home to Economics, Political Science, Sociology and Psychology, is more suburban and quieter.

Student associations (tunas, political groups, cultural clubs) are deeply rooted. The campus hosts regular cultural events, film screenings and debates. The sheer number of students creates a vibrant social environment, though navigating bureaucracy at a university this large can be frustrating. Madrid's nightlife, from Malasaña to La Latina, is legendary, and Complutense students are at its centre.

Intercambios

UCM is one of Europe's busiest Erasmus+ universities, with more than 2,100 Erasmus+ agreements and 891 active bilateral agreements worldwide; more than 3,300 students took part in international programmes in 2024-25. Exchange students can only come for the study areas covered by an agreement with their home university, and UCM does not accept Erasmus free movers.

Your home university must nominate you first (by 15 May for autumn or the full year, by 15 November for spring). You then complete UCM's online application (1 April to 31 May for autumn, 15 October to 30 November for spring) and upload your passport, transcript and learning agreement. Incoming Erasmus students who request it get a free Spanish course; the placement test is compulsory.

Admisión

Spanish students enter through the PAU university entrance exam, and admission to each degree depends on its cutoff score. For 2026-27, Medicine at UCM closed its first allocation at 13.053 out of 14. Students with EU or International Baccalaureate qualifications, or from countries with a reciprocity agreement, need a UNEDasiss accreditation, which converts their grades for admission. Other international applicants need UNEDasiss accreditation or an officially recognised (homologated) secondary diploma, and they can raise their score with UNED's specific subject exams (PCE). Non-native speakers from non-Spanish-speaking school systems must prove B2 Spanish.

Madrid's six public universities share one application window. In 2026 it ran from 5 June to 26 June, extended to 6 July for foreign-system applicants, with results on 10 July. Tuition is charged per ECTS credit. A full first year (60 ECTS) costs about €1,015–€1,241 for Spanish, EU and resident students, depending on the degree group (€1,166 in the middle group). Non-EU students without Spanish residence pay the higher fourth-enrolment rate: about €6,823–€8,186 per year. A student stay permit does not count as residence.

Alojamiento

UCM does not guarantee student housing, and demand far exceeds supply. The university has five of its own Colegios Mayores (residence halls), and many more private and religious halls sit on the Ciudad Universitaria campus. These are historic, community-oriented halls, usually with meals included. They are competitive, so apply early.

Most students rent rooms in shared flats (pisos compartidos) in nearby neighbourhoods such as Moncloa, Argüelles and Chamberí. Idealista puts the average room in Madrid at about €550 a month in mid-2026, and popular central areas cost more. The Somosaguas campus area is pricier and less student-oriented. Idealista and Spotahome are the main search tools, along with university noticeboards. Start looking early, because Madrid's rental market is very tight.

Empleabilidad

UCM's employment office manages a very large internship programme (more than 17,400 placements in 2024-25) and holds an annual jobs fair, UCMpleo. Compluemprende supports student start-ups. The alumni network is massive, which is particularly valuable in law, medicine, journalism and public administration in Spain. In QS 2027, UCM ranks 1st in Spain for employer reputation.

However, personalised career coaching can be limited given the university's size. Students in high-demand fields (health sciences, computing, engineering) find placements relatively easily, while humanities graduates face the same challenges as elsewhere in Spain's competitive job market.

Oferta académica

Plazos de solicitud

Intercambio

Erasmus+ with more than 2,100 agreements plus 891 active bilateral agreements; exchange students must be nominated by a partner university; free Spanish course for incoming Erasmus students

Universidades en Madrid

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