Medicine, Sciences, Law, Economics, Philosophy and Educational Sciences, Psychology, Philology
The University of Valencia has its origin in the permission for general studies in Valencia that King James I of Aragon requested from the pope in 1246. The municipal magistrates passed the university statutes on 30 April 1499, which is treated as the founding date. Pope Alexander VI approved the foundation in 1501, and Ferdinand II issued the royal concession in 1502. It is the oldest university of the Valencian Community and one of the oldest in Spain. A fire during the Spanish Civil War, in 1938, badly damaged its library.
Three campuses serve the university. The Burjassot campus, with Paterna nearby, hosts Biology, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Engineering. The campus on Avenida de Blasco Ibáñez hosts Medicine and Dentistry, Philosophy and Educational Sciences, Psychology, Geography and History, Philology, Translation and Communication, Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Nursing. The Tarongers campus hosts Law, Economics and Business, Social Sciences and the School of Elementary Teacher Training.
The university counts 65,789 students according to its infobox, about 45,000 of them undergraduates and 8,000 postgraduates, although the text speaks of around 55,000 students. It has about 3,300 faculty members. Eighteen schools and faculties are spread over the three campuses, and the rector is María Vicenta Mestre Escrivà.
The best-known alumnus is Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1906. Others include the humanist Juan Luis Vives, the toxicologist Mathieu Orfila, the poet and philologist Dámaso Alonso, the politician Ernest Lluch and the physicist Pablo Jarillo-Herrero. Public tuition fees in Spain are set by each region. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in Spanish and Valencian, with some programmes in English.
Exchange programmes cover Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia, and the university is reported to be among the top ten in Europe for Erasmus student mobility. Research is organised in departments, research institutes and a Science Park. The Botanical Garden is one of its central facilities, and Valencia was the first Spanish university to offer a course on herbs. The historic building, the Cerveró Palace and the Rectorate stand in central Valencia. The library once held about 27,000 volumes, which soldiers under General Suchet destroyed.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Physics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Eighteen schools and faculties on three campuses in and around Valencia.
Research:
Biology, pharmacy, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, medicine, social sciences and humanities.
Famous Alumnis:
Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Juan Luis Vives, Mathieu Orfila, Dámaso Alonso, Pablo Jarillo-Herrero
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3300
Current students***:
55000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
One of the oldest universities in Spain, three campuses, large range of degrees, Mediterranean city location.
Cons
Very large and sometimes crowded, courses taught in Spanish and Valencian, campuses spread across the metropolitan area.
Best For
Students seeking a large and historic Spanish university on the Mediterranean, with three campuses and a very wide choice of degrees.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Complutense University of Madrid sits close to this institution on finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
University of Barcelona takes a similar route through finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry, and it covers ecology and sustainability as well, and is slightly larger, at about 62,995 students against roughly 55,000 here.
Autonomous University of Madrid works in much the same fields, chiefly finance, chemistry and physics, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
In terms of fields, University of Granada is the nearest neighbour, with chemistry, physics and mathematics again at the core; it has almost the same size, at about 60,000 students, and is also a public institution.
In terms of fields, University of Seville is the nearest neighbour, with finance, chemistry and physics again at the core; it covers aerospace and telecommunications as well, and has almost the same size, at about 57,214 students.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Vienna in Austria shares the finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry orientation of this university, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 85,243 students against roughly 55,000 here.
For a study option in Italy with a comparable spread of finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry, University of Turin is the reference point: it covers agriculture as well, and is slightly larger, at about 81,200 students against roughly 55,000 here.
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany shares the finance, microbiology and genetics and chemistry orientation of this institution, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is smaller, enrolling about 36,569 students against roughly 55,000 here.
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Germany) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers software engineering as well.
Université Paris Cité in France shares the microbiology and genetics, chemistry and statistics orientation of this institution, and it is slightly larger, at about 64,100 students against roughly 55,000 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 University of Valencia?
In Valencia, Spain, on three campuses: Burjassot, Blasco Ibáñez and Tarongers.
When was it founded?
The statutes were passed on 30 April 1499, which is treated as the founding date.
Is it one of the oldest universities in Spain?
Yes, and it is the oldest in the Valencian Community.
What happened in 1938?
A fire during the Spanish Civil War badly damaged its library.
How many students does it have?
65,789 according to its infobox, though its text speaks of around 55,000.
How many schools and faculties are there?
Eighteen.
What is taught at Burjassot?
Biology, Pharmacy, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Engineering.
What is taught at Tarongers?
Law, Economics and Business, Social Sciences and Elementary Teacher Training.
Which Nobel laureate studied there?
Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who received the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
What does it cost?
Public tuition fees in Spain are set by each region. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Chemistry, Innovation, Physics, 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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