Address: Plaça Cívica, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
Arts and Humanities, Sciences, Medicine, Biosciences, Law, Economics and Business, Education, Psychology, Veterinary Science
The Autonomous University of Barcelona, known by its Catalan name Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, was created by legislative decree on 6 June 1968. Plans for a second university in Barcelona had existed under the Second Spanish Republic, but the Civil War delayed them. The university settled on a campus at Bellaterra, in Cerdanyola del Vallès, about 20 kilometres from the centre of Barcelona.
The institution is large. The infobox counts 37,166 students and 3,262 academic staff, while the body text of the public record speaks of more than 40,000 students and more than 3,600 academic and research staff. The offer includes 13 faculties and schools and 57 departments. It lists 85 first degree, diploma and engineering qualifications, almost 80 doctoral programmes and more than 80 other postgraduate programmes. Nine libraries serve the community, eight at Bellaterra and one at Sabadell.
Research has a strong structure around the campus. Nine research institutes sit there: IBEI, IET, IGOP, IEM, IBB, ICE, ICTA, INc and IRE. The Computer Vision Center was established in 1994 by the Generalitat and the university. The Port d’Informació Científica was founded in 2003 and is the Spanish Tier 1 site for the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid. The ALBA synchrotron, a large scientific facility, is located in the Barcelona Synchrotron Park close to the university.
The list of people linked to UAB covers several fields. It includes the economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin, the historian and politician Oriol Junqueras, the biomedical scientist Carlos Cordon-Cardo and the economist Mar Reguant. The chemist Pilar González i Duarte is an alumna, and the linguist Martí de Riquer i Morera is also associated with it.
A student should look at the campus first. It is a self-contained site with green space, and a regional rail link connects it to Barcelona. The language of teaching differs from one programme to another, so check each programme before applying. Fees for public universities in Spain are set by each region. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Computer Vision Center, Port d’Informació Científica, ALBA synchrotron in the nearby Barcelona Synchrotron Park, nine research institutes on campus.
Research:
Computer vision, biosciences, international studies, environmental science and technology, advanced economics and social sciences.
Famous Alumnis:
Xavier Sala-i-Martin, Oriol Junqueras, Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Mar Reguant, Pilar González i Duarte, Martí de Riquer
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3262
Current students***:
37166
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Self-contained campus, 13 faculties and schools, nine research institutes, research centres and the ALBA synchrotron nearby.
Cons
Campus is about 20 km from central Barcelona, high demand for some degrees, teaching in Catalan and Spanish.
Best For
Students who want a research-oriented Catalan university on a green, self-contained campus near Barcelona.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Autonomous University of Madrid shares the core fields of this university, namely chemistry, physics and mathematics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers finance as well.
University of Valencia shares the core fields of this institution, namely microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers finance and statistics as well.
Both schools build their programmes around chemistry, physics and mathematics, and University of the Basque Country is the one to compare first within the country, since it covers fluid dynamics and materials as well, and is slightly larger, at about 44,921 students against roughly 37,166 here.
Complutense University of Madrid overlaps with this university on microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is larger, enrolling about 86,159 students against roughly 37,166 here, and is also a public institution.
The comparison with University of Granada is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is larger, enrolling about 60,000 students against roughly 37,166 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics outside the home country, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany is a natural reference; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers finance and statistics as well.
University of Innsbruck in Austria is the nearest foreign match on chemistry, ecology and sustainability and physics; it is slightly smaller, at about 28,106 students against roughly 37,166 here, and is also a public institution.
Université Paris Cité, in France, takes a similar route through microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Seen from abroad, Charles University (the Czech Republic) is a close relative on subject matter, since microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics are central to both, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Yunnan University in China pursues a similar profile in chemistry, ecology and sustainability and physics, and it is slightly smaller, at about 31,141 students against roughly 37,166 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the Autonomous University of Barcelona?
On the Bellaterra campus in Cerdanyola del Vallès, about 20 km from central Barcelona.
When was it created?
By legislative decree on 6 June 1968.
How many students does it have?
37,166 according to the infobox, and more than 40,000 in the body text of the public record.
How many faculties are there?
13 faculties and schools, with 57 departments.
How many doctoral programmes does it offer?
Almost 80.
How many research institutes are on campus?
Nine.
What is the Computer Vision Center?
A research centre established in 1994 by the Generalitat and the university.
What is ALBA?
A synchrotron located in the Barcelona Synchrotron Park close to the university.
How many libraries are there?
Nine, eight at Bellaterra and one at Sabadell.
What does it cost?
Public tuition fees in Spain are set by each region. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Engineering, Environment, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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