Guide to universities in Barcelona: universities and degrees they offer

Barcelona is one of the most important university cities in Catalonia and brings together a wide variety of universities, university centres and specialised schools.

In this blog you will find the main universities in Barcelona and its surrounding areas, the fields of study they offer, where their campuses are located and some of the aspects you can take into account before choosing where to study.

Barcelona has a wide range of university options, but not all of them meet the same needs. For this reason, we review the main universities in Barcelona and its metropolitan area to help you get to know them and find the one that best suits what you are looking for:

Each university has a different academic offer and campus distribution. It is important to check which university offers the degree you want to study, where it is located, which language it is taught in, which admission routes exist and what study plan it offers.

The Universitat de Barcelona is a public university with a very wide range of studies. Its degree catalogue includes areas such as health sciences, social and legal sciences, sciences, arts and humanities, and engineering and architecture.

The Universitat de Barcelona also stands out in different international rankings, especially in certain fields of knowledge. In the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings, the UB ranks 165th in the world and first in Spain.

By subject, its results are particularly strong in health and science. According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, the UB is among the 50 best universities in the world for Medicine and Library and Information Management and among the top 100 in 21 other disciplines. It also ranks first in Spain in 18 subjects, including Medicine, Psychology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Its degree offer includes studies such as:

The UB has different faculties and centres distributed throughout Barcelona, so the exact location will depend on the degree chosen.

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona is a public university whose main campus is located in Bellaterra, in the municipality of Cerdanyola del Vallès. It covers areas such as sciences, health, social sciences, humanities, communication and engineering.

The UAB stands out particularly in Veterinary Science and Linguistics. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 it ranks 25th in the world for Veterinary Science and 49th for Linguistics. It also ranks among the top 100 in Economics and Econometrics, Modern Languages, Sociology, Medicine, Environmental Sciences and Education, among other disciplines. Overall, it is among the world’s top 200 universities in 32 of the 49 disciplines analysed.

Among its degrees, we can find, for example:

If your goal is to study engineering, architecture or a technological degree, the UPC has a wide range of specialised degrees.

If there is one area in which the UPC particularly stands out, it is Architecture and Engineering. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 it ranks 19th in the world for Architecture, placing it among the world’s top 25 universities in this discipline.

It also ranks 96th worldwide in Engineering and Technology and among the top 100 in Industrial, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and Telecommunications, Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Among the areas included in its 2026-2027 offer are:

The UPC distributes its studies among different schools and campuses in Barcelona and other locations, such as: Sant Cugat del Vallès, Castelldefels, Manresa, Terrassa and Vilanova i la Geltrú.

The Universitat Pompeu Fabra is a public university located in Barcelona and has an academic offer that combines social sciences, communication, humanities, economics, health and engineering.

The UPF has a particularly strong presence in Economics, Linguistics and Communication. According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, Economics and Econometrics ranks 31st in the world and first in Spain, while Linguistics ranks 54th. In addition, Communication and Media Studies is among the world’s top 100, ranking between 51st and 100th.

Its degrees include:

The UPF also offers Medicine and different double degrees.

In addition to public universities, Barcelona has several private universities that expand the academic offer.

The Universitat Ramon Llull integrates different institutions and university schools, including Blanquerna, IQS, La Salle and ESADE. For the 2026-2027 academic year, the URL states that it offers 51 degrees, in addition to master’s degrees, doctorates and other qualifications.

The Universitat Ramon Llull also has notable results in national and international rankings. In the QS World University Rankings 2026, the URL was recognised as the third-best private university in Spain.

In addition, in QS by Subject 2026 it appears as the first university in Spain in Business & Management Studies and Marketing, two fields directly related to part of its academic offer.

Its offer includes studies in very different areas:

The URL itself states that some studies are taught in collaboration between different institutions that form part of the university.

UIC Barcelona is another private university present in Barcelona.

It has two campuses, one in Barcelona, located in the Sarrià area, which brings together studies from different fields. These include Law, Business Administration and Management, Audiovisual Communication, Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations, Architecture, Humanities and Education.

The Sant Cugat Campus is located at the Hospital Universitari General de Catalunya and mainly concentrates studies related to the health field. This campus offers degrees such as Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Dentistry, as well as other studies related to health sciences.

UIC stands out particularly in the field of Dentistry. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 it ranks 36th in the world among 150 institutions classified in this discipline and first among the Spanish private universities included in the ranking.

In addition, in 2026 it appears for the first time in the general QS World University Rankings, in the 901-950 range worldwide.

The university also has an important offer related to the health field. In 2026 it includes disciplines such as Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences and Dentistry within its health offer.

Therefore, it can be an option for students interested in areas such as communication, business, law or architecture, as well as different health-related degrees.

The Universitat Abat Oliba CEU offers degrees, double degrees and bilingual programmes in different areas.

The Universitat Abat Oliba CEU has recognition in different university rankings and assessment systems.

The university participates in international rankings through the CEU group, so some results are not published independently for the UAO.

Its current academic offer is mainly organised into:

It also offers different double degrees and bilingual options.

A practical way to start comparing universities is to do so according to the area you want to train in. If you are very clear about what you would like to study, here are some ideas of where you could study.

The UPC concentrates a significant part of Barcelona and its surrounding area’s engineering offer, with studies in computer science, telecommunications, industrial, civil and aerospace engineering, energy, data and other specialisations.

You can also find engineering studies at other universities, such as the UAB, the UPF and different centres of the URL.

Medicine can be studied at different universities in Barcelona and its surrounding areas.

Options include the UB, UAB, UPF, UIC Barcelona and the Universitat Ramon Llull, with its new Medicine offer from Blanquerna-URL for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Psychology is offered by universities such as the UB, UAB, UAO CEU, UIC Barcelona and Blanquerna-URL, among others.

At the UAB, the degree is part of the Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy and there is also a double degree in Psychology and Criminology.

If you want to study Business Administration and Management, economics or areas related to business management, there are both public and private options.

The UB, UPF, URL, UIC Barcelona and UAO CEU offer studies related to business and economics, although the degree name, language and approach may vary.

There are also more specialised options in marketing, international business, business intelligence or technology business management.

Barcelona has a wide range of options in the communication sector, so you can find:

• Audiovisual Communication
• Journalism
• Advertising and Public Relations
• Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing
• Communication and Digital Content Creation
• Global Communication Management
• Marketing

The UPF, Blanquerna-URL, UAO CEU and UIC Barcelona offer different options in this field.

To study architecture, you can find different options at the UPC, including the ETSAB in Barcelona and the ETSAV in Sant Cugat del Vallès.

There is also the Architecture Studies degree at La Salle-URL and Architecture at UIC Barcelona.

Early Childhood Education and Primary Education degrees are available at different universities.

Among them are the UB, UAB, URL and UAO CEU, with different modalities, pathways and study combinations.

One of the first decisions students often consider is whether to study at a public or private university.

It is not simply a matter of choosing between two models: each university has its own characteristics and conditions.

At public universities, official degrees are subject to the public price system established for Catalan universities. For example, the UPC publishes a price of €17.69 per credit for first enrolment for its official degrees for 2026-2027.

At private universities, the price depends on each institution and degree. For example, UIC Barcelona publishes its prices by degree and also offers scholarships and financial aid. Therefore, it is always advisable to check the updated price of the specific degree.

At public universities, admission to degrees follows the procedures established for the Catalan university system. Admission routes may include, among others, Baccalaureate and PAU or CFGS.

At private universities, each university establishes its own admission process. For this reason, it is important to check the requirements of the institution and degree you are interested in.

Public universities generally bring together a very wide range of studies, while private universities may also offer specialised degrees, double degrees or programmes taught in different languages.

The comparison should always be made between specific degrees and not only between universities.

Class sizes, internships, subject organisation, timetables and other aspects may vary depending on the university and degree.

For this reason, before deciding, review the study plan and the specific information for the degree.

In Barcelona there are universities and faculties distributed across different neighbourhoods, while other institutions have much of their activity on campuses outside the city centre.

In the case of the UPC, there are centres in Barcelona, Sant Cugat, Manresa, Castelldefels, Terrassa and Vilanova i la Geltrú. This means that the university itself does not always tell you where you will study.

If you already know what you want to study but several universities offer that degree, you can compare different aspects to choose the one that best suits your needs and preferences.

• Check the subjects for each year, electives, internships and the Final Degree Project. Two degrees with the same name may have different study plans.
• Check the admission grades from previous years as a reference, bearing in mind that they may change every year.
• Check whether the study plan includes external internships and how they are organised.
• If you want to study part of your degree in another country, review the mobility programmes and available agreements.
• Check whether subjects are taught in Catalan, Spanish, English or other languages you want to learn or use.
• Consider how long it will take you to reach the campus every day. A university may be a good academic fit but be very far from where you want to live.
• Class size can influence day-to-day dynamics. It is advisable to check how groups are organised in the specific degree.
• Review which professional profiles are related to the degree and what opportunities for internships or entry into the labour market the qualification offers.

At public universities, the admission grade is an especially important reference.

It is not a fixed grade that the university has permanently. It corresponds to the grade of the last person who obtained a place on a particular degree and academic year, so it may vary depending on demand and the number of available places.

You must also distinguish between access grade and admission grade.

At private universities, some have their own admission processes, so you need to check the specific requirements of each university.

In Barcelona you can find degrees taught in Catalan, Spanish, English or different combinations of languages.

The language may vary even between different degrees at the same university. For example, the UB publishes information for each degree on the percentage of teaching in different languages.

The URL also has programmes with different language models. Some IQS degrees can be taught in English or through a progressive Spanish-to-English model, while other studies specify Catalan, Spanish and English.

There is no single university suitable for all students. The choice will depend on what you are looking for and what you need at each moment. Therefore, you should compare several universities to find out which one is right for you.

If you want to study engineering

Check the UPC offer in particular and also compare engineering degrees at other universities.

If you are looking for a university with a very wide academic offer

The UB and the UAB have a wide variety of fields of knowledge and degrees.

If you want to study communication

You can compare the options at the UPF, Blanquerna-URL, UIC Barcelona and UAO CEU, among others.

If you are looking for international studies or studies in English

Check the language of each degree specifically. Universities such as UPF, URL and different private centres offer degrees or pathways with teaching in English.

If you want to study in the centre of Barcelona

In this case, in addition to the degree, it is advisable to check the exact location of the faculty and public transport connections.

If you are going to study in Sant Cugat

The area has several university centres. The Unihabit Sant Cugat residence is located on the ETSAV-UPC campus.

Yes, there are admission routes for students who have already started university studies, although the requirements and recognition of credits depend on each university.

For example, the UPF has a specific route for students with university studies already started and establishes requirements related to recognised or transferred credits.

Yes. There are degrees and programmes with full or partial teaching in English. However, not all degrees at the same university are taught in English.

Therefore, if language is a requirement for you, check the specific degree information before applying for a place.

To access public universities in Catalonia, the pre-registration process follows the procedure established for the Catalan university system.

Private universities may have their own admission processes, so you should consult each institution directly.

It depends on where the campus is located.

In Barcelona, Unihabit Ciutat Vella is located in the city centre, at Plaça de les Caramelles, and is close to universities such as the UB and Blanquerna-URL.

For students studying in Sant Cugat, Unihabit Sant Cugat is located on the ETSAV-UPC campus.

Unihabit also has accommodation in Gràcia, as well as residences in Girona and Manresa, located close to different universities and university campuses in both cities.

Choosing accommodation according to your campus can help you organise your university day-to-day life better. At Unihabit you will find different options in Barcelona and other university cities.

If you study at the UB or Blanquerna-URL

The Unihabit Barcelona – Ciutat Vella Residence is located at Plaça de les Caramelles, in the centre of Barcelona, and the residence itself highlights its proximity to the University of Barcelona and Blanquerna-URL.

Student Residence Barcelona – Ciutat Vella

If you study in Sant Cugat at the ETSAV-UPC

The Unihabit Sant Cugat Residence is located on the ETSAV-UPC campus and is the best option for students at this centre.

Student Residence Sant Cugat

If you study in Girona

The Unihabit Girona Residence is located on the Montilivi Campus of the University of Girona, next to the faculties and university centres on the campus.

Student Residence Girona – Campus Montilivi

If you study in Manresa

Unihabit Manresa is located in the city’s university area, next to UManresa and close to UPC EPSEM.

If you want to live in Barcelona

In addition to Ciutat Vella, Unihabit has student apartments in Gràcia, in a central and well-connected area of Barcelona.

Unihabit Gràcia student apartments