Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
A private Barcelona university with small classes, a health campus and a bachelor's degree taught fully in English.
- Students
- 8,796
- 4,596 undergraduates
- Tuition
- €10,440
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1997
- QS World Ranking
- 901-950
- 2027 edition
About UIC Barcelona
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, branded UIC Barcelona, began teaching in October 1997 after the Parliament of Catalonia recognised it by Law 11/1997. It is a private, foundation-based university promoted by the Fundación Familiar Catalana, with two campuses: Campus Barcelona, which hosts law, business, communication, humanities and architecture, and Campus Sant Cugat, which is devoted to health sciences and education.
In 2025-26 it enrolled 8,796 students, of whom 4,596 were undergraduates and 1,819 postgraduates; the rest were continuing-education students. In 2024-25 it reported 1,979 full-time international undergraduate and postgraduate students from 109 countries, 704 teaching and research staff and 497 mobility agreements with foreign universities. Its philosophy is Christian humanism, and the university chaplaincy is entrusted to priests of the Prelature of Opus Dei.
Admission runs through the university's own process on top of the official access requirements: you apply online, upload your documents, pay a 110 euro processing fee and take an entrance exam (psychometric, general culture, English and an interview, plus degree-specific tests). Tuition for the first year of a single bachelor's degree in 2026-27 ranges from 10,440 euros (journalism, advertising) to 18,600 euros (medicine, dentistry), with grants that can cut fees by 20 to 80 percent. It suits students who want small classes, a private, professionally oriented degree in Barcelona and can budget for private-university fees.
Why students choose UIC Barcelona
Bachelor's degrees taught in English include Business Administration and Management (100 percent in English), a Dentistry English programme and Bioengineering.
The Academic Excellence Grant (BEA) can cover 20 to 80 percent of tuition for the whole degree for new students, and the International Excellence Grant covers up to 20 percent for international students who complete the whole degree.
Health degrees are taught at Campus Sant Cugat with simulation labs and three university clinics, and a Nemesio Diez Foundation grant covers 100 percent of first-year Medicine enrolment for eligible students.
UIC Barcelona lists 497 mobility agreements and over 270 agreements worldwide, including UC Berkeley and Boston University.
Admissions
2027 entry (2027-28 academic year)
Selectivity
UIC Barcelona does not publish an acceptance rate. Admission depends on the university's own entrance exam and interview, plus a separate in-person exam for Medicine.
Typical entry requirements
| Secondary school leaving qualification (Spanish baccalaureate or foreign equivalent) | Foreign qualifications must be approved or recognised for Spanish university access; UIC advises on the route and documents (passport, photo, last academic transcript, signed terms) |
|---|---|
| Entrance exam | Online admission test on a scheduled date (except Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, which have separate schedules), plus interview |
| English language | An English language test is part of the entrance exam for all degrees; no minimum external score is published on the pages consulted. Applicants without prior studies in Spanish should check the Spanish level required for their degree. |
Deadlines
- Medicine in-person exam Non-binding Passed9 May (2026 date shown)
Previous cycle: the 2027 Medicine date is not published on the pages consulted.
- Online admission tests (most degrees) Non-binding27 November, 29 January, 26 February, 26 March, 30 April, 28 May and 25 June
Dates listed as upcoming for the 2027 intake; candidate lists close one week before each test. The November, January and April dates carry the option to compete for the Academic Excellence Grant.
- Dentistry online tests Non-binding20 November (English programme), 22 January, 19 February (Spanish programme), 23 April, 25 June
The university notes that the Dentistry admission tests are currently full.
There is no single application deadline: you apply, then sit one of the scheduled entrance tests. The list of candidates for each test closes one week earlier. The Medicine exam date shown is from the previous cycle.
How to apply
Complete the online admission application, upload the required documents to the admissions portal and pay the 110 euro processing fee (non-refundable). Take the entrance exam and interview, then receive an admission letter about ten working days later. If accepted, pay 20 percent of the year's tuition within 15 days to reserve your place, then enrol online between June and September.
What admissions looks for
- A pass in the university entrance exam, which combines general intelligence, general culture, English and an interview.
- Degree-specific aptitude: drawing and maths for Architecture, maths for Business Administration, and text analysis for Humanities.
- For grant applicants, academic excellence first: at least an 8 average in the first year of baccalaureate (9 in vocational training) for the Academic Excellence Grant.
Tips for applying to UIC Barcelona
- 1 Choose a test date on or before the double-call dates (27 November, 29 January, 30 April) if you want to compete for the Academic Excellence Grant.
- 2 Ask your admissions adviser early about approval of your foreign qualification: the university sends documents to the Spanish Embassy or to the Higher Education Inspectorate for approval.
- 3 Note that non-refundable processing costs are 110 euros; the 20 percent reservation deposit is refunded in full only if you fail an official requirement such as the national exam.
- 4 The Dentistry tests are currently reported full, so apply early for Dentistry or Medicine.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Academic Excellence Grants (BEA) cover 20 to 80 percent of tuition for the whole degree for new students except in Medicine, with family income used as a tiebreaker; the Nemesio Diez Foundation grant covers 100 percent of first-year Medicine tuition and up to 80 percent from year two; International Excellence Grants cover up to 20 percent of tuition for international students studying the whole degree, except Dentistry and Medicine. Payment can be in a lump sum or in instalments without interest.
- 20% to 80% of tuition for the whole degree (not Medicine)
- Academic Excellence Grant (BEA)
- Up to 20% of tuition (not Dentistry or Medicine)
- International Excellence Grant
- 100% of first-year enrolment, up to 80% afterwards
- Nemesio Diez Foundation grant (Medicine)
- 110 euros, non-refundable
- Admission processing fee
Academics
Business Administration and Management (English Programme)
100 percent taught in English on Campus Barcelona; 100 places; first-year price 12,720 euros in 2026-27.
Dentistry (English or Spanish programme)
The English programme runs in English for the first two years and Spanish for the last three; it is on Campus Sant Cugat.
Medicine
A 360 ECTS degree on Campus Sant Cugat with 100 places, taught in Catalan and Spanish with some lectures in English; separate written test.
Architecture
Taught in English, Spanish and Catalan with drawing and maths entrance tests; an international double degree is also listed.
Law
About 90 places and an international itinerary including a summer stay at UC Berkeley.
Bioengineering
Taught in English on Campus Sant Cugat.
Research
- The university lists research groups and university clinics, including the University Dental Clinic and the SUPPORT psychology and psychiatry clinic.
- Nine UIC Barcelona researchers appear among the world's most influential according to a Stanford University list, per the university's news.
- The university holds the HRS4R European researcher-HR label (documents published on its research site).
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Communication Sciences
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Education Sciences
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Faculty of Dentistry
- School of Architecture
- Bioengineering Institute of Technology
- Institute for Advanced Family Studies
Degree pages cite 95 percent employability for graduates (university claim, unspecified year); the university reports 30,753 alumni in total and 635 job offers published by its Career Center in September 2024 to August 2025.
Student life
Student life at UIC Barcelona is split between two campuses: Campus Barcelona in the Sarria-Sant Gervasi district, with four buildings named Alfa, Beta, Gamma and Delta, and Campus Sant Cugat, mainly for health and education degrees. Class sizes are small and each student is assigned an academic coordinator. The university runs a sports service where activities can earn ECTS credits, student clubs (general and degree-specific), a Living Together social programme in the halls of residence and a Career Forum.
- Two campuses: Barcelona (law, business, communication, humanities, architecture) and Sant Cugat (health and education)
- Sports service where activities can earn ECTS credits, with UIC Barcelona teams and competitions
- General and degree-specific student clubs run by students
- Living Together social programme in halls of residence
- Career Forum (the 2026 edition is on 15 October 2026)
Housing. The university lists college residences, university halls of residence and flat-finding help, with a Living Together social programme.
Location
Campus Barcelona is in the Sarria-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona, while Campus Sant Cugat is in Sant Cugat del Valles, a town next to the city that hosts the health degrees and the university clinics. The university describes Barcelona as one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities and provides help with immigration paperwork such as the NIE and TIE identity documents.
Nearest airport: Barcelona-El Prat (BCN)
Notable alumni
- SV Santi VilaCatalan historian and politician; doctorate from UIC Barcelona in 2017
- FS Fernando Sánchez CostaHistorian and former Catalan MP; degrees in Humanities (2006) and Journalism (2007) and a PhD in Contemporary History from UIC Barcelona
- SP Sandra PettovelloArgentine politician, Minister of Human Capital since 10 December 2023 (per Wikipedia, checked 30 September 2026); postgraduate work in family policy at UIC Barcelona (non-degree study)
- IG Ignacio GarrigaSpanish politician, Secretary General of Vox since 2022, and former dentist; English Wikipedia lists the International University of Catalonia as his alma mater, and he also taught at its Faculty of Dentistry
- SC Santiago CirugedaSpanish architect and activist behind the Recetas Urbanas collective; qualified as an architect at UIC's ESARQ school (per Spanish Wikipedia)
- EC Elizabeth CabezasEcuadorian economist and politician, President of the National Assembly of Ecuador 2017-2019; master's in management at UIC Barcelona (per Spanish Wikipedia)
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to study at UIC Barcelona?
For 2026-27 the first year of a single bachelor's degree ranges from 10,440 euros for Journalism and Advertising to 18,600 euros for Medicine and Dentistry, before grants. The same price is published for all students, with no separate international fee, and grants can cover 20 to 80 percent.
Are there bachelor's degrees in English at UIC Barcelona?
Yes: Business Administration and Management is taught 100 percent in English, Bioengineering is in English, and Dentistry has an English programme for the first two years.
How do I get admitted to UIC Barcelona?
Apply online, upload your documents, pay the 110 euro processing fee and take the entrance exam and interview on a scheduled date. If admitted, reserve your place with 20 percent of the year's tuition within 15 days.
Is there an application deadline?
There is no single deadline: entrance tests are held on scheduled dates, from 27 November through 25 June for most degrees, and the candidate list for each test closes a week before.
Is UIC Barcelona a public or private university?
It is private and foundation-based, recognised by the Parliament of Catalonia in 1997, with a Christian humanist philosophy, and its degrees are official and comply with the European Higher Education Area.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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