Best universities in Spain 2027

Discover the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 and explore which universities in Spain rank the highest.
This list reveals the best universities and colleges in Spain, according to the trusted THE World University Rankings 2027.
Universities across Spain are scored in areas such as teaching, research and international outlook.
It uses a robust methodology, created by the in-house data team, that is relied upon by students, academics, policymakers and industry leaders worldwide.

October 23 2026

Top universities in Spain 2027

Spain Rank 2027	World University Rank 2027	University	Overall	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	=143	University of Barcelona	62.7	44.8	50.8	88.2	85.7	65.1
2	175	Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)	61.1	45.8	47.3	85.5	75.4	68.8
3	=205	Pompeu Fabra University	59.1	38	46.2	85.1	77.3	77.7
4	=275	University of Navarra	56	36.8	37.6	83.2	92	74.7
5	351–375	Autonomous University of Madrid	51.6–52.2	43.8	35.4	73	65.3	55.4
6	401–450	Complutense University of Madrid	48.9–50.4	46.7	39.6	59.3	54.9	49.3
7	501–550	University of Valencia	46.0–47.3	33.2	31.8	68.4	68.3	52.8
8	601–650	Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya	43.4–44.4	36	25.7	61.2	75.6	61
9	651–700	University of Granada	42.4–43.3	32.7	31.6	59.7	60.6	52.7
=10	701–800	Polytechnic University of Valencia	40.2–42.3	31.4	29.1	51.8	86	57.3
=10	701–800	Rovira i Virgili University	40.2–42.3	29	26.1	61.4	53.7	56.8
=12	801–1000	Carlos III University of Madrid	36.4–40.1	33.6	24.8	47.5	77.1	62.1
=12	801–1000	Open University of Catalonia	36.4–40.1	18.3	24.2	66.8	35	48.3
=12	801–1000	Universidad Europea	36.4–40.1	24.7	12.6	66.4	19.5	78.7
=12	801–1000	Universitat Internacional de Catalunya	36.4–40.1	22.4	19.2	61.9	25.7	75
=12	801–1000	Universitat Ramon Llull	36.4–40.1	21.9	19.6	59.6	37.2	74.5
=12	801–1000	University of Alcalá	36.4–40.1	30.1	18.4	53.3	52.4	57.7
=12	801–1000	University of Girona	36.4–40.1	23.4	27.7	54.9	50.2	55.8
=12	801–1000	University of Jaén	36.4–40.1	24.9	22.6	62.4	40.3	50.2
=12	801–1000	University of Lleida	36.4–40.1	24.8	22.9	59.7	58.7	43.5
=12	801–1000	University of Salamanca	36.4–40.1	33.1	28.2	48.4	45	54.1
=12	801–1000	University of Santiago de Compostela	36.4–40.1	30.9	26	58.6	48.6	48.5
=12	801–1000	University of Seville	36.4–40.1	26	30.7	57.6	59.5	49.4
=12	801–1000	University of the Basque Country	36.4–40.1	30.2	23.1	60.9	61.9	43.5
=12	801–1000	University of Vigo	36.4–40.1	27	21.6	62.3	59.7	50.5
=26	1001–1200	Jaume I University	33.3–36.3	24.7	23.4	49.6	42.8	44.1
=26	1001–1200	Technical University of Madrid	33.3–36.3	28.4	20.3	47	69.7	53.7
=26	1001–1200	University of Alicante	33.3–36.3	28	22.2	48.4	56.4	41.9
=26	1001–1200	University of Castilla-La Mancha	33.3–36.3	25.1	21.1	52.7	53.8	43.9
=26	1001–1200	University of Córdoba	33.3–36.3	28	17.7	58.2	40.4	49.6
=26	1001–1200	University of La Laguna	33.3–36.3	24.4	19.3	55.4	39.8	47.9
=26	1001–1200	University of Oviedo	33.3–36.3	30.2	22	44.8	49.2	40
=26	1001–1200	University of the Balearic Islands	33.3–36.3	27.8	18.6	57.4	33.9	50.6
=26	1001–1200	University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia	33.3–36.3	21	15.7	67.1	24.7	53.9
=26	1001–1200	University of Zaragoza	33.3–36.3	29.5	22.6	50.2	67.5	41.3
=36	1201–1400	Miguel Hernández University of Elche	30.5–33.2	20.8	20.1	44.2	57.5	42.5
=36	1201–1400	Public University of Navarre	30.5–33.2	25.3	17.3	49.2	42.3	45.5
=36	1201–1400	University of A Coruña	30.5–33.2	24	20	50.9	47	39
=36	1201–1400	University of Almería	30.5–33.2	21.8	21.5	49.9	35.3	45.8
=36	1201–1400	University of León	30.5–33.2	25.6	19	43.8	60.3	40.4
=36	1201–1400	University of Malaga	30.5–33.2	21.7	19.1	44.3	54.6	43.2
=36	1201–1400	University of Valladolid	30.5–33.2	24.3	19.6	43.1	41.6	40
=43	1401–1600	National University of Distance Education (UNED)	27.3–30.4	17.5	21.9	43	52.5	33
=43	1401–1600	Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM)	27.3–30.4	17.7	21.1	39.5	42.5	60
=43	1401–1600	Universidad Francisco de Vitoria	27.3–30.4	15.7	14.7	47.9	18.3	43.4
=43	1401–1600	Universidad Loyola	27.3–30.4	17.5	18.4	42.6	17.5	46.6
=43	1401–1600	University of Burgos	27.3–30.4	20.8	18.2	43.1	31.6	39
=43	1401–1600	University of Cadiz	27.3–30.4	21.7	18.7	43.1	37.9	38.9
=43	1401–1600	University of Deusto	27.3–30.4	20	20.5	44.2	37.5	44.9
=43	1401–1600	University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	27.3–30.4	22.1	19.4	43.4	32.2	41.5
=43	1401–1600	University Rey Juan Carlos	27.3–30.4	18.8	17.7	46.1	45.7	38.5
=52	1601–1800	CEU Universities	24.2–27.1	23.7	12.8	35.5	24.8	49.9
=52	1601–1800	Technical University of Cartagena	24.2–27.1	27.1	14.9	31.1	39.7	42.2
=52	1601–1800	UNIR – International University of La Rioja	24.2–27.1	12.6	17.4	34.5	20	58.9

Key insights from the Spain University Ranking 2027

Spain has 54 universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.
The University of Barcelona is the top-ranked university in Spain in 2026. It is one of the biggest universities in Spain.
The top universities in Spain are located across the country with some of the most highly ranked located in Madrid, Barcelona and the smaller cities of Seville and Granada.

How to choose a university in Spain

One of the reasons for Spain’s popularity with international students is that, generally, it is relatively cheap to live there. The cost of goods and services in Spain is below average in comparison with other European countries.

One of the major reasons students choose to study abroad is the opportunity to learn another language, and as Spain’s national dialect is the second most spoken language in the world it has become a popular destination for international students.

While the majority of courses are taught in Spanish, there are also a number of courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in English to accommodate overseas students.

The table for the best universities in Spain was derived from data collected for the THE World University Rankings. The results are calculated using 17 performance indicators underlying five metrics: research environment, teaching (the learning environment), research quality, industry, and international outlook. For more insight and a detailed breakdown of our ranking methodology, visit our methodology page. Use the France university ranking table above to explore the right institution for you.