University of Barcelona

Overview

The University of Barcelona is one of the biggest and highly regarded universities in Spain. Located at the heart of Barcelona, the university serves as a comprehensive higher education institution in the region. It welcomes a large number of local and international students, with 44,000 students enrolled in undergraduate degrees and 19,000 taking up postgraduate studies. At present, the university offers 73 bachelor's degree courses and more than 140 master's degree courses, covering almost all areas of knowledge.

By combining academic tradition with frontier scientific knowledge, the university is strongly committed to preparing and training current and next generation of leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and researchers. As one of the largest institutions in Spain, it has the capacity to provide the highest level of academic and research pedagogies. The university also enjoys a notable reputation for its employability rates, services, and academic and teaching quality.

With roots that can be traced as far back as 1450, the University of Barcelona is among the oldest universities in the world. It was founded by King Alfonso V of Aragon, in Naples, under a royal prerogative and served as the first university established in Barcelona. As the student population increased rapidly in the following years, large-scale building works for the university began in the 19th century, making it one of the largest institutions in Spain.

Today, the university is spread throughout six main campuses located in the city of Barcelona. It is further divided into 16 top-level faculties, such as the Faculties of Fine Arts, Biology, Earth Sciences, Law, Education, Philology and Communication, Pharmacy and Food Science, Philosophy, and more. With its long-standing reputation for academic and research excellence, the University of Barcelona is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious non-English-speaking universities in the world.

As part of the university’s international vocation, it plays an active role in various global university unetworks, such as the COIMBRA group, the League of European Research Universities, and the Arab-Euro Conference on Higher Education. Furthermore, it holds more than 2,000 international agreements, many of which are in close collaboration with the world’s top universities. Specialized programs for international students, such as the University of Barcelona International Summer School and the Study Abroad program, also help strengthen the university’s mobility efforts.

Aside from its research and academic programs, the university also offers a wide range of student services and facilities. These include housing facilities and a set of residence halls, academic counselling and career services, a network of 17 libraries, and more than 100,000 square meters of sports facilities.