Rankings: The 56 best universities in Spain for 2024/2025
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 2024 | THE Ranking 2024 | ARWU Ranking 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous University of Barcelona | 149 | 201 | 301 |
| University of Barcelona | 164 | 152 | 201 |
| Complutense University of Madrid | 171 | 501 | 301 |
| Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | 199 | 351 | 301 |
| University of Navarra | 280 | 301 | 501 |
| Pompeu Fabra University | 310 | 201 | 301 |
| Universidad Carlos III de Madrid | 319 | 801 | 901 |
| Universidad Politécnica de Madrid | 349 | 801 | 701 |
| Polytechnic University of Catalonia | 354 | 601 | 701 |
| University of Granada | 403 | 501 | 201 |
| IE University | 428 | – | – |
| Universitat Politècnica de València | 476 | 601 | 401 |
| University of Valencia | 485 | 501 | 301 |
| University of Seville | 494 | 801 | 601 |
| University of Zaragoza | 523 | 801 | 601 |
| University of Salamanca | 534 | 801 | 501 |
| University of Alcalá | 538 | 801 | 901 |
| Comillas Pontifical University | 582 | 1501 | – |
| Ramon Llull University | 621 | 601 | – |
| University of the Basque Country | 621 | 601 | 401 |
| Rovira i Virgili University | 661 | 501 | 701 |
| University of Santiago de Compostela | 701 | 601 | 601 |
| University of Alicante | 801 | 1001 | 501 |
| University of Murcia | 901 | 801 | 701 |
| University of Vigo | 901 | 801 | 501 |
| King Juan Carlos University | 951 | 1201 | 901 |
| University of Castilla–La Mancha | 951 | 801 | 601 |
| University of Valladolid | 951 | 1201 | 901 |
| University of Córdoba | 1001 | 601 | 901 |
| University of León | 1001 | 1001 | – |
| University of A Coruña | 1001 | 1001 | – |
| University of Deusto | 1001 | 801 | – |
| University of Lleida | 1001 | 801 | 701 |
| University of Oviedo | 1001 | 801 | 601 |
| European University of Madrid | – | 1001 | – |
| International University of La Rioja | – | 1201 | – |
| Jaume I University | – | 801 | 601 |
| Miguel Hernández University of Elche | – | 1001 | – |
| Open University of Catalonia | – | 601 | – |
| Pablo de Olavide University | – | 801 | 901 |
| Public University of Navarre | – | 1001 | – |
| UIC Barcelona | – | 801 | – |
| Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM) | – | 1201 | – |
| Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Almería | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Burgos | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Cádiz | – | 1001 | 901 |
| University of Extremadura | – | 1001 | 701 |
| University of Girona | – | 801 | 801 |
| University of Jaén | – | 801 | 801 |
| University of La Laguna | – | 1001 | 701 |
| University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Málaga | – | 1001 | 801 |
| University of the Balearic Islands | – | 801 | 601 |
| University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia | – | 801 | – |
| University of Cantabria | – | – | 901 |
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
