Rankings: The 54 best universities in Spain for 2021/2022
Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric / Pexels
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.
| University | QS Ranking 2021 | THE Ranking 2021 | ARWU Ranking 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Barcelona | 183 | 198 | 151 |
| Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | 200 | 301 | 301 |
| Complutense University of Madrid | 206 | 501 | 201 |
| Autonomous University of Barcelona | 213 | 182 | 201 |
| University of Navarra | 252 | 251 | 501 |
| Pompeu Fabra University | 287 | 152 | 301 |
| Charles III University of Madrid | 311 | 801 | 901 |
| Polytechnic University of Catalonia | 314 | 601 | 701 |
| Technical University of Valencia | 326 | 801 | 301 |
| IE University | 327 | – | – |
| Technical University of Madrid | 451 | 801 | 501 |
| University of Alcalá | 499 | 801 | 801 |
| University of Zaragoza | 501 | 801 | 401 |
| University of Granada | 501 | 601 | 201 |
| University of Seville | 581 | 801 | 401 |
| University of Valencia | 591 | 401 | 201 |
| Ramon Llull University | 601 | – | – |
| University of Salamanca | 601 | 801 | 701 |
| Comillas Pontifical University | 651 | – | – |
| University of Santiago de Compostela | 701 | 801 | 401 |
| Rovira i Virgili University | 751 | 601 | 501 |
| University of the Basque Country | 751 | 801 | 301 |
| University of Murcia | 801 | 1001 | 701 |
| University of Oviedo | 801 | 801 | 401 |
| University of A Coruña | 801 | 1001 | – |
| University of Alicante | 801 | 1001 | 601 |
| University of Málaga | – | 1001 | 701 |
| University of Lleida | – | 601 | 701 |
| University of León | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | – | 801 | 801 |
| University of La Laguna | – | 601 | 601 |
| University of Jaén | – | 801 | 701 |
| University of Girona | – | 601 | 801 |
| University of Deusto | – | 601 | – |
| University of Córdoba | – | 801 | 701 |
| University of Castilla–La Mancha | – | 1001 | 801 |
| University of Cádiz | – | 1001 | 901 |
| University of Burgos | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Almería | – | 1001 | – |
| Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena | – | 1001 | – |
| Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM) | – | 1001 | – |
| Public University of Navarre | – | 1001 | – |
| Pablo de Olavide University | – | 801 | 801 |
| Open University of Catalonia | – | 601 | – |
| Miguel Hernández University of Elche | – | 601 | 601 |
| King Juan Carlos University | – | 1001 | 901 |
| Jaume I University | – | 601 | 601 |
| International University of Catalonia | – | 601 | – |
| European University of Madrid | – | 601 | – |
| University of Vigo | – | 801 | 501 |
| University of Valladolid | – | 1001 | 801 |
| University of the Balearic Islands | – | 601 | 501 |
| University of Extremadura | – | – | 701 |
| University of Cantabria | – | – | 801 |
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.
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.
Read more about studying in Spain
