Top 10 Best Universities in Barcelona

By Jorge Franganillo, wikimedia

Top 10 Best Universities in Barcelona

Universities academic performances in Spain have placed the country among the best 30 countries to study in.

A recent ranking showed that the universities performances in mathematics were leading similar to sciences.

Barcelona city in Spain is Europe’s most popular cruise port. The city has been an important shipping center for centuries.

Thanks to its strategic location on the Mediterranean coast near France, it has attracted students from both Europe and parts of North Africa.

Let’s look at some of the top 10 best universities in Barcelona.

1. University of Barcelona (UB)

By ToNToNi -wikimedia

The University of Barcelona was rated as the best university in Catalonia.

It is the primary center of university research in Spain and has become a European benchmark for research projects.

UB leads in the number of research programs and has achieved excellence along with it.

It is highly regarded as the best Spanish university in scientific output. This university has published 15,290 papers between 2006 and 2010.

It is also leading in the number of papers published in high impact journals.

This university’s history is attached to the history of Barcelona and Catalonia. It combines the values of tradition with its position as a higher learning institution to dedicate its innovation and teaching to excellence.

It was established in 1450 making it one of the oldest universities in the world.  UB has bagged first position awards on several occasions across universities in Spain.

The main campus is located in the center of the city; it’s a short walking distance from Plaça Catalunya.

It offers over 70 undergraduate programs and 350 graduate programs.

2. Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)

The Autonomous University of Barcelona is a public university located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain.

UAB was established in 1968 and has forged the essence of independent and forward-thinking in academia and learning.

This university has 57 departments in the experimental, life, social, and human sciences, extended to 13 faculties.

Accommodation for students is at Vila Universitària located on its campus. It has 812 apartments with an accommodation capacity of 2193 students.

The houses are located close to the campus, a forest with beautiful views. It is also close to the train and bus stations and about 40 minutes from the center of the city.

Active student participation is encouraged in the governance and management of the University.

This university gives an unmatched Catalonian experience to international students that choose to study there.

Classes are offered in English, Spanish, or Catalan.

3. University Pompeu Fabra (UPF)

Universitat Pompeu Fabra – wikimedia

UPF began quite recently; it has been in existence for 30 years. It was selected as one of the fastest-growing and youngest university in the world.

This university is considered to be among the best in teaching business-related programs and leading in research in the country.

Its entry into academia has seen UPF excel in other programs such as law, and political science.

The university has three campuses situated across the city center.

The locations are of sentimental values since they are reclaimed historic buildings now transformed into chic, modern facilities.

4. University Ramon Llull

By Universitat Ramon Llull -wikimedia

The University Ramon Llull is a privately run university that was established in 1990 by several educational institutions in Spain.

The university is made up of a group of 11 universities and schools. Some notable institution is the leading business school ESADE.

It was positioned as one of the best of its kind in the world, together with ESDi School of Design.

Other than business and design, University Ramon Llull also offers programs in philosophy, psychology, sports therapy, engineering, and architecture.

The strength of this university is based on partnerships that bringing the best academics and experts from its eleven institutions to give the students the best possible syllabus and learning experience.

5. Polytechnic University of Catalunya

Polytechnic University of Catalunya is the largest engineering university in the province of Catalunya, Barcelona.

Polytechnic University was established in the 1970s after a merger with other main architecture and engineering schools.

The university is ranked among the best polytechnic universities in Spain. It has 42 departments that jointly have attracted over 30,000 students annually in the fields of architecture, science, and engineering.

The university is proud of its high number of international double-degree programs it offered in over 60 international universities.

The main campus is in Barcelona, but there are other satellite campuses in other towns and cities across Catalunya, Manresa, Castelldefels, and Sant Cugat del Vallés.

6. Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (GSE)

The Barcelona GSE was established in 2006 in partnership with four other academic institutions. This institution is funded by private and public institutions.

It was accredited the university status in October 2006 by the government of Catalonia.

It offers graduate studies and research and the main campus is located in Barcelona.

This institution offers a variety of master’s degrees in Economics, Finance, and Data Science.

It has been ranked among the best economics departments in the world.

Research undertaken by the institution involves economics and everyday life. This university purposes to be among the best regarding economic research.

7. Abat Oliba CEU University

The Abat Oliba CEU University is a private university located in Barcelona, Spain. It was founded in 1973 as the Abat Oliba College.

In 1995 it was known as the Center for Higher Education Abat Oliba and taught degree programs in Law, Business Administration and Management, and Economy.

Later in 2003, the Parliament of Catalonia approved its accreditation to Abat Oliba CEU University.

To motivate its students, the university launched an award for its advertising and communication students. The award is given annually to the best performing and promising students.

If you are interested in learning the Catalan language and culture, CEU is the place to be. It is committed to conserving the language in its curriculum.

8. Open University of Catalunya

By UOC – wikimedia

The Open University of Catalonia is a private open university based in Barcelona, Spain, and was founded in 1994.

UOC offers graduate and postgraduate programs in Catalan, Spanish, and English.

Some of the undergraduate and postgraduate programs include Psychology, Computer Science, Sciences of Education, Information and Knowledge Society, and Economics.

It has other campuses in several cities in Spain, Andorra, Mexico, and Colombia.

This university offers programs remotely, therefore requires one to be disciplined in managing their time appropriately.

At least 50,000 students are enrolled in the remote programs. It offers doctoral programs in digital topics such as e-law, e-learning, network society, education, and online communities.

Students can access learning materials and instructions from the comfort of their homes.

9. Istituto Europeo di Design(IED)

The Istituto Europeo di Design is a private design school in Italy founded in 1966 by Francesco Morelli. It has a campus in Barcelona too.

The Barcelona campus offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in Product Design, Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Graphic Design.

There are 29 different courses of three-year duration offered in several languages such as English, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The institute has about 10,000 students enrolled every year, totaling to more than a population of 90,000 students.

A four-year program earns the student a Bachelor of Arts with Honors degree.

10. ESADE

By Castellbo – wikimedia

ESADE (Escola Superior d’Administració I Direcció d’Empreses) is a private Jesuit educational institution within the Ramon Llull University, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

It runs two schools of the university; ESADE Business School and ESADE Law School, as well as a language center, the ESADE Executive Language Center.

This school has partnered with the Ramon Llull University in its undergraduate programs in Law and Business.

This institution was established in 1954 by a group of Spanish businessmen in agreement with the Jesuits.

The first academic programs in the university started in 1958 in a small building in the district of Sant Gervasi, Barcelona

This institution is among the best in the world in Business and Law School.