Universities in Spain

Spain offers international students one of the most affordable higher education systems in Western Europe, especially in the public sector. Public universities do not charge tuition in the usual sense — students pay for credit registration, the cost of which is set by the autonomous communities. In Madrid, a year of a bachelor's programme costs €800–2,000, and a master's costs €1,500–3,500. In northern regions and smaller cities, rates are lower: for some humanities fields, they drop to €800 per year. Private universities have a different price range: from €8,000 to €20,000 per year, and in some cases (for example, medicine) the cost may be higher. Business schools such as IE, ESADE, and IESE charge fees comparable to British and American programmes.

The strengths of the Spanish system are concentrated in several fields. Architecture and design traditionally attract students to Barcelona, where ETSAB remains one of the oldest architecture schools in Europe. Business education in Madrid and Barcelona is oriented toward Latin American markets, while tourism and hospitality management focus on one of the country's largest industries. Admission requires a secondary school certificate or diploma with a transcript, proof of language proficiency — DELE B2 for Spanish-taught programmes, IELTS 6.0–6.5 for English-taught ones — and a financial guarantee of at least €600 per month.

In our catalogue, you can explore the Spanish universities most popular among applicants — those which offer programmes for international students.