Rankings: The 49 best universities in Spain for 2020/2021

Spain has a lot of things going for it: Great climate and nature, beautiful cities, tasty cuisine, friendly people. And: Many Spanish universities are among the best in Europe and the world.

Across the leading international rankings, you will usually find around a dozen Spanish universities in the world’s top 500, and dozens more in the world’s top 1,000. Many of the best-known institutions are concentrated in Spain’s two largest cities: Madrid (the capital) and Barcelona (the economic powerhouse). Beyond the traditional rankings, there are also many highly-ranked business schools in Spain.

You will have a hard time finding a student who didn’t enjoy their time in Spain. And with a degree from one of the country’s leading universities, many doors will open for you.

Top ranked universities in Spain

University	QS Ranking 2020	THE Ranking 2020	ARWU Ranking 2019
University of Barcelona	165	201	151
Autonomous University of Barcelona	188	157	201
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid	192	251	301
Complutense University of Madrid	212	501	201
University of Navarra	245	251	701
Pompeu Fabra University	285	143	301
Charles III University of Madrid	298	801	–
Polytechnic University of Catalonia	300	601	601
IE University	335	–	–
Technical University of Valencia	336	801	401
University of Zaragoza	432	801	401
Technical University of Madrid	435	801	501
University of Alcalá	501	601	901
University of Granada	511	601	201
University of Valencia	581	401	201
Ramon Llull University	591	–	–
University of Seville	601	801	401
University of Salamanca	601	601	601
University of Santiago de Compostela	651	601	501
University of the Basque Country	651	601	401
University of Alicante	701	801	801
Rovira i Virgili University	701	501	501
University of Vigo	801	801	601
University of A Coruña	801	801	–
University of Oviedo	801	601	401
University of Murcia	801	801	701
University of Castilla–La Mancha	801	801	701
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	–	801	901
University of Valladolid	–	1001	801
University of Málaga	–	801	801
University of Jaén	–	801	801
University of Girona	–	601	801
University of Extremadura	–	–	801
University of Cantabria	–	–	801
Pablo de Olavide University	–	801	801
Miguel Hernández University of Elche	–	601	801
University of Lleida	–	601	701
University of La Laguna	–	601	701
King Juan Carlos University	–	801	701
University of Córdoba	–	801	601
Jaume I University	–	601	501
University of the Balearic Islands	–	601	401
University of Deusto	–	801	–
University of Cádiz	–	801	–
Open University of Catalonia	–	501	–
University of León	–	1001	–
University of Burgos	–	1001	–
University of Almería	–	1001	–
Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena	–	1001	–

Explained: How do the university rankings work?

The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a university’s research is referenced elsewhere).

The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.

Study in Spain

It's not just the great weather and the beautiful beaches: Spain attracts students with world-class universities and offers high-quality education at modest tuition fees.