Higher education in Spain

In Spain, [[higher education]] is a non-mandatory stage of [[formal learning]] following [[secondary education]]. It covers stages 5 to 8 on the International [[ISCED 2011]] scale. It is delivered by a wide range of institutions, including universities—92 as of 2026<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Martínez |first=Josep |date=2026-01-27 |title=El Informe CYD 2025 analiza el perfil del alumnado y la oferta de las universidades españolas |url=https://www.fundacioncyd.org/el-informe-cyd-2025-analiza-el-perfil-del-alumnado-y-la-oferta-de-las-universidades-espanolas/ |access-date=2026-04-01 |website=Fundación CYD |language=es}}</ref>—, the majority of which are publicly funded.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/spain/types-higher-education-institutions | title=Types of higher education institutions }}</ref> Around forty of them are private, with fourteen affiliated with the [[Catholic Church]] or [[Christianity|Christian]]-inspired.<ref>{{Cite web |last=RC |date=2016-07-03 |title=En España existen 14 universidades católicas y de inspiración cristiana |url=https://www.elconfidencialdigital.com/religion/articulo/catolicos/Espana-universidades-catolicas-inspiracion-cristiana/20160701165849014944.html |access-date=2026-04-01 |website=Religión Confidencial |language=es}}</ref> The Spanish higher education system traces its origins to medieval and Islamic educational institutions, notably with the foundation of the [[University of Salamanca]] in 1218, one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in Europe. During the Spanish Empire, universities and schools played a central role in administrative and missionary efforts across Spain and its colonies.

Following the reforms associated with the [[European Higher Education Area]] (EHEA), Spain transitioned from traditional degrees such as the ''Licenciatura'' and ''Diplomatura'' to a system based on the ''título de grado'' (Bachelor's degree) and ''título de máster'' (Master's degree). Admission to Spanish universities is competitive and based on academic performance and entrance examinations. Spanish universities are regularly featured in global and national rankings, with institutions such as the [[Universitat de Barcelona]], [[Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]], and [[Universidad Autónoma de Madrid]] consistently placing highly.

For academic year 2024–25, 1.827 million students were enrolled in any type of university education.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gutiérrez |first=Laura |date=2025-09-16 |title=La universidad privada sigue cogiendo impulso y comiendo terreno a la pública |url=https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/09/16/la-universidad-privada-sigue-cogiendo-impulso-y-comiendo-terreno-a-la-publica-cadena-ser/ |access-date=2026-04-01 |website=Cadena SER |language=es-ES}}</ref> Of the enrolled students, 77.5 % of them enrolled in a four-year institution (77 % in a public institution while 23 % in a private one), while 17.1 % were enrolled in a [[Master's degree]] (53 % private; 47 % public ) and 5.4 % in a [[Doctorate]] program (93–7 % in favour of public institutions).<ref name=":0" /> To this we must add 0.598 million students who were studying a [[Higher Vocational Education|Higher Vocational Training]] degree in the 2023–24 academic year (63 % in public centres).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deputy Directorate-General for Statistics and Studies |date=2024 |title=Estadísticas del Alumnado de Formación Profesional. Curso 2023-2024. |trans-title=Statistics on Vocational Training Students. Academic Year 2023–2024. |url=https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/dam/jcr:b83fe113-3510-463e-beb4-67924617275b/nota-2023-2024.pdf |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports |page=2}}</ref>

==History== [[File:Juan_de_Zúñiga_(cropped).jpg|right|thumb|[[Antonio de Nebrija]] teaching grammar in the presence of [[Juan de Zúñiga y Pimentel]].]]

The origins of higher education in Spain date back to [[Al-Andalus]], the period of [[Islam]]ic rule. [[Madrasah]]s were established in the Andalusian cities of [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], [[Seville]], [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], [[Granada]] ([[Madrasah of Granada]]), [[Murcia]], [[Almería]], [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]] and [[Cádiz]] during the [[Caliphate of Córdoba]].<ref name="auto">{{Citation|contribution=education|title=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|year=2008|contribution-url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179408/education|accessdate=2008-09-30}}</ref>

Problems of definition make it difficult to date the origins of universities. The first [[medieval university|medieval European universities]] were simply groups of scholars, the word "[[university]]" being derived from the [[Latin]] ''universitas'', meaning ''[[corporation]]''. Nonetheless, the University of [[Palencia]] appears to have been the first high education institution in Spain, while the [[University of Salamanca]] (Universidad de Salamanca) is the oldest existing Spanish university. Founded in 1218, during a period of expansion that had begun in the 11th century, this University is considered to be one of the oldest in Western Europe. The university was founded as a "General School of the kingdom" by King Alfonso IX of León in 1218 so that the Leonese people could study at home without having to leave for Castile.

The reign of [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|Ferdinand, King of Aragon]], and [[Isabella I of Castile|Isabella I, Queen of Castile]], saw a professionalisation of the apparatus of government in Spain, which led to a demand for men of letters (''letrados'') who were university graduates (''licenciados''), of Salamanca, Valladolid and [[Alcalá de Henares]]. These men staffed the various councils of state, including, eventually, the ''Consejo de Indias'' and ''Casa de Contratacion'', the two highest bodies in metropolitan Spain for the government of the [[Spanish Empire]] in the [[New World]].

Many of the medieval universities in Western Europe were born under the aegis of the [[Catholic Church]], usually as cathedral schools or by [[papal bull]] as [[Studium Generale|Studia Generali]]. In the early medieval period, most new universities were founded from pre-existing schools, usually when these schools were deemed to have become primarily sites of higher education. Many historians state that universities and cathedral schools were a continuation of the interest in learning promoted by monasteries.

[[File:University of Salamanca Fray Luis de Leon edited.jpg|left|thumb|[[University of Salamanca]] is the oldest university in the [[Hispanic world]] and one of the oldest in the world [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|in continuous operation]].]]

In Europe, young men proceeded to university when they had completed their study of the ''[[trivium (education)|trivium]]''–the preparatory arts of [[grammar]], [[rhetoric]], and [[logic]]–and the ''[[quadrivium]]'': [[arithmetic]], [[geometry]], music, and [[astronomy]]. (See [[degrees of Oxford University]] for the history of how the ''trivium'' and ''quadrivium'' developed in relation to degrees, especially in [[English-speaking world|anglophone]] universities).

Several of the world's [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest universities]] are located in Spain or were founded by Spanish scholars across the world at the time of the [[Spanish Empire]].

The [[University of Salamanca]], founded by King [[Alfonso IX]] of Leon in 1218 is the world's 8th oldest [[university]]. The oldest existing universities both in Asia ([[University of Santo Tomas]]) and the Americas ([[Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo|University of Santo Domingo]]) were founded by Spanish religious orders in the 16th century.

[[File:Edificio neogótico y monumental.... Colegio el Pilar (Madrid).jpg|thumb|[[Colegio del Pilar (Madrid)|El Pilar]] is a school with a long list of [[old boys]] (former pupils), including one Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2012-02-19/el-pilar-un-colegio-de-dirigentes_232887/|title=El Pilar, un colegio de dirigentes|date=February 19, 2012|website=www.elconfidencial.com}}</ref>]]

The creation of the Spanish Empire brought a significant expansion in royal positions for university-trained lawyer-bureaucrats who were not nobles and were dependent on and loyal to the crown. The multiple royal councils needed university-trained men, as did royal government in the Indies. These were men who had studied Roman Law. "The law schools of universities were the training ground of the Crown's advisers."<ref>[[J.H. Parry|Parry, J.H.]] ''The Spanish Seaborne Empire''. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press 1990, p. 137.</ref> The first [[medieval university|medieval European universities]] were simply groups of scholars, the word "[[university]]" being derived from the [[Latin]] ''universitas'', meaning ''[[corporation]]''. The [[University of Palencia]] appears to have been the first high education institution in Spain and the third in the world, after [[Bologna university|Bologna]] and [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], while the [[University of Salamanca]] is the oldest existing Spanish university.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213646/http://www.der.uva.es/historia.html Historia - Facultad de Derecho] Universidad de Valladolid</ref> Founded in 1218, during a period of expansion that had begun in the 11th century, Salamanca is considered to be the third oldest in Western Europe. The university was founded as a "General School of the kingdom" by [[Alfonso IX of León|Alfonso IX]] in 1218 so that the Leonese people could study at home without having to leave for Castile.<ref name="auto"/>

From the [[Instituto San Isidro|Imperial School]] to [[St. Bartholomew Major College|St. Bartholomew's College]] or [[Our Lady of Mount Zion College, Palma, Majorca|Our Lady of Mount Zion]], the Spanish set up a solid educational system as well as one of the first prominent fee-paying schools in Europe. [[Stonyhurst College]] in [[Lancashire]], was one of the many English boarding schools founded by Spanish Jesuits under the Empire, and was originally established in the [[Spanish Netherlands]] in 1593. The aim of these schools was to provide English boys with a Roman Catholic education during the rule of [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]].<ref>Robert Parsons, Catholic Encyclopaedia (1913)</ref>

High-ranking army men and senior administrators of the empire usually pursued a rigorous education for their sons in Spain. The aim was to continue producing future leaders to serve the Spanish Empire and its interests, often resulting in a well-developed final product of colonial governors.<ref>Thomas, Hugh; El Imperio Español de Carlos V (2010)</ref> Most of these schools were established by Catholic orders such as the [[Jesuits]], with the intention of emphasizing catholic values at heart, since the Catholic Church was arguably the greatest promoter of the Spanish Empire.

Before the new [[European Higher Education Area]], degrees included *''Licenciatura'' or ''ingeniería'', can last four, five or six years. *''Diplomatura'' or ''ingeniería técnica'', degree courses of shorter duration, 3 years.

== Universities == {{See also|List of universities in Spain}} The creation of public universities, or the recognition of private ones, is carried out by law, either by the ''[[Cortes Generales]]'' or by a [[List of Spanish regional legislatures|regional legislatures]] (Article 4, LOSU). Article 27(10) of the [[Constitution of Spain|Spanish Constitution]] guarantees [[university autonomy]], allowing universities to freely establish their own educational and research policies, as well as regulate their internal regimen and their staff and financial policies. This autonomy also includes [[academic freedom]] and the obligation of the competent public authorities to ensure that universities and their centers have the necessary financial resources to exercise it (Article 3, LOSU).

The [[Government of Spain|central government]] is responsible for establishing, by royal decree—Royal Decree 640/2021, of July 27—the basic conditions and requirements for the creation of public universities and the recognition of private universities, as well as for the development of their activities, while the regional governments are responsible for authorizing the start of their activities once it has been verified that the conditions and requirements established by the central government are met. Subsequently, these governments are also entrusted with the supervision and control of their activity and, where appropriate, the revocation of the authorization (Article 4, LOSU).

For academic year 2024–25, there were 92 universities in Spain: 50 public and 42 private.<ref name=":2" />

== Organization of official degrees == [[File:PlacaUniversitat.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[University of Barcelona]]]] The education structure for official titles is provided in Organic Law 2/2023, of March 22, on the University System (LOSU)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Royal Household |author-link=Royal Household of Spain |date=23 March 2023 |title=Ley Orgánica 2/2023, de 22 de marzo, del Sistema Universitario. |trans-title=Organic Law 2/2023, of March 22, on the University System |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2023-7500 |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Official State Gazette |language=es}}</ref> and Royal Decree 822/2021, of September 28, which establishes the organization of university teaching and the procedure for ensuring its quality (RDOEUC).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Universities |author-link=Ministry of Universities |date=29 September 2021 |title=Real Decreto 822/2021, de 28 de septiembre, por el que se establece la organización de las enseñanzas universitarias y del procedimiento de aseguramiento de su calidad. |trans-title=Royal Decree 822/2021, of September 28, which establishes the organization of university teaching and the procedure for ensuring its quality |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2021-15781 |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Official State Gazette |language=es}}</ref> Following the [[Bologna Process]], this norms divide the official university education in three levels:

* '''Grade'''. Known internationally as a [[Bachelor's degree]], it is the first level of university education and it aims to give students a basic and general education in a specific discipline. To access bachelor's studies, a [[Spanish Baccalaureate|Baccalaureate]] title and passing the [[Selectividad|university access exam]] are required (Article 38, 2006 Organic Education Law).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Royal Household |author-link=Royal Household of Spain |date=4 May 2006 |title=Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación. |trans-title=Organic Law 2/2006, of May 3, on Education |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2006-7899 |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Official State Gazette |language=es}}</ref> Graduates of advanced vocational training programs may also access bachelor's degrees (Article 148, Royal Decree 659/2023, of July 18).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Education and Vocational Training |author-link=Ministry of Education (Spain) |date=22 July 2023 |title=Real Decreto 659/2023, de 18 de julio, por el que se desarrolla la ordenación del Sistema de Formación Profesional. |trans-title=Royal Decree 659/2023, of July 18, which develops the organization of the Vocational Training System. |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2023-16889 |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Official State Gazette |language=es}}</ref> ** As a general rule, bachelor's degrees consist of 240 [[European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System|ECTS]] credits divided into four years of 60 credits each. Therefore, they are equivalent to [[QF-EHEA#QF-EHEA in Spain|MECES 2]]. There may also be special bachelor's degree programs of 300 and 360 credits. Both types of degrees require obtaining the required credits and completing a final degree project, which will cover between 6 and 24 credits for basic degrees, and up to 30 or 36 credits in the case of special degrees (Article 14, RDOEUC). * '''University Master'''. [[Master's degree]] programs aim to provide advanced training, either thematically specialized or multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary, geared towards academic or professional specialization, or geared towards initiating research activities. Admission to Master's programs requires a Bachelor's degree, another Master's degree, or their equivalent (Article 18, RDOEUC). ** Master's degrees consist of 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits, equivalent to a [[QF-EHEA#QF-EHEA in Spain|MECES 3]]. To obtain them, it is necessary to obtain all the planned credits and pass the final master's project, which can cover between 6 and 30 credits out of the total (Article 17, RDOEUC). * '''Doctorate'''. [[Doctorate]] programs ([[PhD]]) constitute the third level of higher education and aim to develop the skills and competencies related to research within a scientific, technical, humanistic, artistic, or cultural field of knowledge. As a general rule, admission to doctoral studies requires a Bachelor's and Master's degree, or equivalent, with at least 300 ECTS credits (Article 6, Royal Decree 99/2011, of January 28).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Education |author-link=Ministry of Education (Spain) |date=10 February 2011 |title=Real Decreto 99/2011, de 28 de enero, por el que se regulan las enseñanzas oficiales de doctorado. |trans-title=Royal Decree 99/2011, of January 28, which regulates official doctoral studies. |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2011-2541 |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Official State Gazette |language=es}}</ref> ** Unlike other university levels, doctoral studies are not credit-based. They consist of doctoral programs lasting a maximum of four years full-time or, exceptionally, seven years part-time. For individuals with a disability of 33 % or more, these periods are extended to six and nine years, respectively (Article 3, Royal Decree 99/2011).<ref name=":1" /> ** The person who is going to get a doctorate will sign a paid predoctoral contract with a duration of no less than one year and no more than four years (Article 21, 2011 Science Law),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Royal Household |author-link=Royal Household of Spain |date=2 December 2011 |title=Ley 14/2011, de 1 de junio, de la Ciencia, la Tecnología y la Innovación. |trans-title=Law 14/2011, of June 1, on Science, Technology and Innovation. |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2011-9617 |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Official State Gazette |language=es}}</ref> for the simultaneous performance of research tasks in a specific and novel project and, on the other hand, the set of activities, which are part of the doctoral program, leading to the acquisition of the skills and abilities necessary to obtain the official university degree of Doctorate (Article 4, Royal Decree 103/2019, of March 1).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities |author-link=Ministry of Science (Spain) |date=15 March 2019 |title=Real Decreto 103/2019, de 1 de marzo, por el que se aprueba el Estatuto del personal investigador predoctoral en formación. |trans-title=Royal Decree 103/2019, of March 1, approving the Statute of predoctoral research staff in training. |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2019-3700 |access-date=1 April 2026 |website=Official State Gazette |language=es}}</ref>

== Non-official degrees == Universities, in exercising their right to [[university autonomy]], may establish their own degrees (Article 6.6, LOSU). These degrees are regulated by each university according to its internal regulations and are valid only within that university. University-specific degrees must have a name that does not cause confusion with official degrees, and students must always be given adequate information to distinguish between official and university-specific degrees (Article 36, RDOEUC).

== Governance == [[Education in Spain]] is a shared responsibility between the central and regional governments. University education enjoys its own autonomy, but the central government is responsible for designing the regulatory framework, while the [[Autonomous communities of Spain|regions]] exercise oversight.

Thus, at the apex of the Spanish university system is the [[Spanish government departments|department]] of the [[General State Administration]] with university responsibilities, currently the [[Ministry of Science (Spain)|Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities]], which is supported by the relevant regional departments. Additionally, the governing bodies of each university exercise, with respect to their respective centers, those powers conferred upon them by the Organic Law on the University System and their statutes to guarantee their autonomy.

To coordinate these actors, there are three bodies for cooperation and coordination: the General Conference on University Policy (Article 15, LOSU)—intergovernmental coordination—, the University Council (Article 16, LOSU)—for Ministry and rectors coordination—and the State University Student Council (Article 17, LOSU)—for communciation and debate between government and students—, all of them chaired by the minister of universities. Universities also have the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), an association that coordinates and promotes collaboration among them.

== Ranking == There are several rankings for Spanish Universities. The best known ones are the [[Shanghai Jiao Tong]], [[Quacquarelli Symonds|QS]] and THE Ranking. These are international rankings, however, there are also some national rankings comprising the "50 carreras" (50 degrees) from the "[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]" newspaper, the [[Spanish National Research Council|CSIC]] or the [[IAIF]] ranking of the [[Complutense University of Madrid|UCM]].

Spain's Higher Educations system has been [[Webometrics|ranked]] top-5th by the Spanish [[Spanish National Research Council|CSIC]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.webometrics.info/Distribution_by_Country.asp |title=World Universities' ranking on the Web: Distribution by Country |access-date=2010-08-06 |archive-date=2010-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312035103/http://www.webometrics.info/Distribution_by_Country.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> only after the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada.

== National Rankings ==

=== U-Ranking 2020 ===

It was published in 2020 and done by the [[Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria]] and [[Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas]].

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Nº !! Universidad !! Score |- | 1 || [[Universidad Pompeu Fabra]] || 1.5 |- | 2-5 || [[Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]] || 1.4 |- | 2-5 || [[Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña]] || 1.4 |- | 2-5 || [[Universidad Carlos III]] || 1.4 |- | 2-5 || [[Universitat Politècnica de València]] || 1.4 |- | 6-10 || [[Universitat de Barcelona]] || 1.3 |- | 6-10 || [[Universidad de Navarra]] || 1.3 |- | 6-10 || [[Universidad de Cantabria]] || 1.3 |- | 6-10 || [[Universitat Rovira i Virgili]] (Tarragona) || 1.3 |- | 6-10 || [[Universidad Autónoma de Madrid]] || 1.3 |}

=== 50 Carreras (El Mundo) ===

It is a well known ranking in Spain and it is published every year by the national newspaper "El Mundo".

:{| class="wikitable sortable" |- bgColor="#efefef" |- bgColor="#efefef" | width="100" align="center" | 2019 Ranking | width="400" align="center" | University |- | width="100" align="center" | 1 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 2 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Complutense de Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 3 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Autónoma de Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 4 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat de Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 5 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 5 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Carlos III]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 6 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Politècnica de València]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 7-8 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 7-8 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad de Navarra]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 9 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad de Sevilla]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 10-11 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Pompeu Fabra]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 10-11 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Rey Juan Carlos]] |}

== International Rankings == ===The Times Higher Education Ranking=== :{| class="wikitable sortable" |- bgColor="#efefef" |- bgColor="#efefef" | width="100" align="center" | 2021 Ranking | width="400" align="center" | University |- | width="100" align="center" | 1 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Pompeu Fabra]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 2 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 3 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat de Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 4 | width="250" align="center" | [[University of Navarra]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 5 | width="250" align="center" | [[Autonomous University of Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 6 | width="250" align="center" | [[University of Valencia]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 7 | width="250" align="center" | [[Complutense University of Madrid]] |}

=== QS Ranking === Published annually since 2004, QS World University Rankings® is one of the most complete and trusted university ranking in the world.

:{| class="wikitable sortable" |- bgColor="#efefef" |- bgColor="#efefef" | width="100" align="center" | 2020 Ranking | width="400" align="center" | University |- | width="100" align="center" | 1 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat de Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 2 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Autónoma de Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 3 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Complutense de Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 4 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 5 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad de Navarra]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 6 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Pompeu Fabra]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 7 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad Carlos III de Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 8 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 9 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Politècnica de València]] |}

=== Shanghai Ranking ===

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is first published in June 2003 by the Center for World-Class Universities (CWCU), Graduate School of Education (formerly the Institute of Higher Education) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and updated on an annual basis. Despite its prestige, many people criticize them because they don't take into account the size of the universities for their rankings.

=== Round University Ranking === :{| class="wikitable sortable" |- bgColor="#efefef" |- bgColor="#efefef" | width="100" align="center" | 2020 Ranking | width="400" align="center" | University |- | width="100" align="center" | 1 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat de Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 2 | width="250" align="center" | [[Autonomous University of Barcelona]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 3 | width="250" align="center" | [[Autonomous University of Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 4 | width="250" align="center" | [[Pompeu Fabra University]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 5 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universidad de Navarra]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 6 | width="250" align="center" | [[University of Zaragoza]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 7 | width="250" align="center" | [[Complutense University of Madrid]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 8 | width="250" align="center" | [[Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 9 | width="250" align="center" | [[University of Valencia]] |- | width="100" align="center" | 10 | width="250" align="center" | [[University of Rovira i Virgili]] |}

==See also== *[[Academic ranks in Spain]] *[[ANECA]], the accreditation body *[[Education in Spain]] **[[List of universities in Spain]] (organised by autonomous community) **[[British universities]] **[[Dutch universities]] **[[List of universities in France|French universities]] **[[German universities]] **[[Italian universities]] **[[List of higher education institutions in Portugal|Portuguese universities]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == *[https://gogoespana.com/en/blog/top-universities-in-spain-to-get-your-degree/ Top Universities in Spain]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higher Education In Spain}} [[Category:Higher education by country|Spain]] [[Category:Higher education in Spain| ]]