Best universities in Spain 2026

Discover the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 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 2026.
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.

December 15 2025

Top universities in Spain 2026

Spain Rank 2026	WUR Rank 2026	University	Overall	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	=145	University of Barcelona	62	44	47.8	88.5	92.4	64.6
2	183	Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)	59.8	44.9	44.8	84.6	73.3	69.5
3	=187	Pompeu Fabra University	59.5	36.6	45.3	87.5	81.6	80.1
4	251–300	University of Navarra	54.3–56.3	37.2	34.1	81.9	90.7	74.4
5	351–400	Autonomous University of Madrid	49.9–51.5	41.8	31.3	73.4	66.5	56.2
=6	501–600	Complutense University of Madrid	43.6–46.1	43.7	34.5	57.6	56.6	49.1
=6	501–600	University of Valencia	43.6–46.1	31.8	27.7	70.9	68.5	52.6
=8	601–800	Polytechnic University of Valencia	39.0–43.5	32.3	26.2	50.4	86.8	57.2
=8	601–800	Rovira i Virgili University	39.0–43.5	28.2	25.1	62.5	57.5	57.6
=8	601–800	Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya	39.0–43.5	34.2	22.6	58.7	75.8	61.7
=8	601–800	University of Granada	39.0–43.5	31.3	29.7	60.9	60.7	53.4
=8	601–800	University of Santiago de Compostela	39.0–43.5	30.8	23.1	60.9	48.2	48.4
=8	601–800	University of the Basque Country	39.0–43.5	31.1	21.9	63.3	61.5	45
=14	801–1000	Carlos III University of Madrid	35.5–38.9	32.6	21.7	45.7	66.7	62.6
=14	801–1000	Open University of Catalonia	35.5–38.9	18.5	20.5	68.3	32.8	50
=14	801–1000	Pablo de Olavide University	35.5–38.9	23.2	19.4	57.3	55.8	52.2
=14	801–1000	Universitat Ramon Llull	35.5–38.9	20.8	17.6	63.2	36.5	73.7
=14	801–1000	University of Alcalá	35.5–38.9	29.2	17	54.3	47.8	59.6
=14	801–1000	University of Córdoba	35.5–38.9	27.4	20.7	60.4	45.8	50.6
=14	801–1000	University of Jaén	35.5–38.9	23.9	20.7	67	39.2	50.2
=14	801–1000	University of Lleida	35.5–38.9	23.2	20.3	59.6	61.4	43.3
=14	801–1000	University of Salamanca	35.5–38.9	32	24.8	47.9	46.6	54.5
=14	801–1000	University of Seville	35.5–38.9	24.9	27.9	55.8	60.4	47.4
=14	801–1000	University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia	35.5–38.9	21.4	14.1	70.8	23.6	55.8
=14	801–1000	University of Vigo	35.5–38.9	25.2	19.8	60.9	60.1	49.8
=14	801–1000	University of the Balearic Islands	35.5–38.9	27.9	16.9	56.6	38.4	52.1
=27	1001–1200	European University of Madrid	32.1–35.4	24.8	10	61.2	18.5	65.5
=27	1001–1200	Jaume I University	32.1–35.4	25.7	21.9	50.4	46.7	44.3
=27	1001–1200	Technical University of Madrid	32.1–35.4	27.8	18.1	45.7	71.2	53.8
=27	1001–1200	Universitat Internacional de Catalunya	32.1–35.4	26.1	11.2	50.2	21.3	69.9
=27	1001–1200	University of Alicante	32.1–35.4	27.6	21.2	47.9	56.1	41.7
=27	1001–1200	University of Almería	32.1–35.4	22.7	21.2	51	34.5	45
=27	1001–1200	University of Castilla-La Mancha	32.1–35.4	24	17.9	52.8	53.5	45
=27	1001–1200	University of Girona	32.1–35.4	21.2	24.6	51.5	53.4	55.9
=27	1001–1200	University of La Laguna	32.1–35.4	23.4	16.1	55.2	36.2	49.3
=27	1001–1200	University of Murcia	32.1–35.4	25.6	19.4	55.2	55.1	36.5
=27	1001–1200	University of Oviedo	32.1–35.4	30.3	19.8	48	48.3	40.6
=27	1001–1200	University of Zaragoza	32.1–35.4	29	20.6	47.9	71	42.3
=39	1201–1500	Miguel Hernández University of Elche	27.3–32.0	22	18.4	42.9	62.6	42.6
=39	1201–1500	National University of Distance Education (UNED)	27.3–32.0	17.2	19.4	41.8	50.2	33.3
=39	1201–1500	Public University of Navarre	27.3–32.0	25.5	15.2	49.2	43.3	47.3
=39	1201–1500	Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM)	27.3–32.0	19.1	18.2	35.1	39.2	57.4
=39	1201–1500	University Rey Juan Carlos	27.3–32.0	18.7	15.3	47.4	46.7	38.4
=39	1201–1500	University of A Coruña	27.3–32.0	24.1	18.6	46.1	46.6	38.1
=39	1201–1500	University of Burgos	27.3–32.0	21.8	16.7	44.9	29	36.3
=39	1201–1500	University of Cadiz	27.3–32.0	21.2	18.3	42.7	37.4	43.4
=39	1201–1500	University of Deusto	27.3–32.0	20.7	20.6	49.3	39.9	46
=39	1201–1500	University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	27.3–32.0	21.4	26.9	42.7	32.5	41.7
=39	1201–1500	University of León	27.3–32.0	24.9	15.9	41.8	61	36.8
=39	1201–1500	University of Malaga	27.3–32.0	21.1	17.1	42.1	54	41.5
=39	1201–1500	University of Valladolid	27.3–32.0	24.8	16.7	40.7	44.4	39.5
=52	1501+	CEU Universities	10.3–27.2	21.9	11.8	33.9	26.4	49.8
=52	1501+	Technical University of Cartagena	10.3–27.2	28.6	13.8	31.2	41	42.4
=52	1501+	UNIR – International University of La Rioja	10.3–27.2	12.6	15.6	35.9	20.6	57.4
=52	1501+	Universidad Francisco de Vitoria	10.3–27.2	15.5	12.7	46.3	18.3	41.3
=52	1501+	Universidad Loyola	10.3–27.2	16.2	16.5	41.9	20.2	48.7
=52	1501+	University of Huelva	10.3–27.2	23.2	16.6	32.6	28.8	36.2

Key insights from the Spain University Ranking 2026

Spain has 57 universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026.
The University of Barcelona is the top-ranked university in Spain in 2026. It is one the obiggest 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 18 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.