University of Barcelona: Fees, Admission and Student Life for International Applicants
Spain's top-ranked public university in QS, with bachelor's fees of about €1,200 a year for non-EU students. Here is what it takes to get in.
The University of Barcelona (Universitat de Barcelona, UB) is a public university in Catalonia, founded in 1450. It ranks =165 in the QS World University Rankings and =145 in the THE World University Rankings — first in Spain in both tables. THE counts 45,016 students, 12% of them international.
The headline number for applicants from outside the EU: a full bachelor's degree at UB costs the same as for local students, about €1,202 a year. Master's programs are priced differently for non-EU students, at €82 per credit for most programs.
UB suits students ready to study in Spanish and Catalan, and graduates targeting one of its English-taught master's. It is a poor fit if you need a fully English bachelor's or want to skip entrance exams.
| Key fact | Details |
|---|---|
Type | Public university of Catalonia |
Rankings | QS: =165 (1st in Spain); THE: =145 (1st in Spain) |
Students | 45,016, of whom 12% international (THE) |
Teaching languages | Catalan and Spanish; Catalonia's official target is 80% of bachelor's teaching hours in Catalan |
Bachelor's fee, non-EU | €17.69 per credit, about €1,202 a year with fees |
Master's fee, non-EU | €82 per credit for most programs, about €5,060 a year |
Bachelor's entry for non-EU school systems | School certificate homologation + PAU or PCE UNEDasiss exams |
Master's applications | Open from January; in the last intake, applications opened on January 15 |
University of Barcelona tuition fees
Bachelor's prices at UB are the same for everyone on a full degree, including non-EU students. Master's prices depend on your status. The table uses the current price list.
| Program | Non-EU price per credit | Approx. cost per year (60 credits) | Price list |
|---|---|---|---|
Bachelor's (Grau), full degree | €17.69 | about €1,061 tuition + about €141 fees = about €1,202 | Current list |
Official master's, most programs | €82 | about €4,920 tuition + fees = about €5,060 | Current list |
Master's that qualify for a regulated profession (habilitant) | €71 | depends on program length | Current list |
Selected business and economics master's, e.g. International Business |
The annual fees on top of tuition are €69.80 for file management, €70.00 for learning support and €1.12 for school insurance (students under 28). The €90 per credit rate applies only to Study Abroad and non-degree students, not to full degrees.
For master's pricing, a student stay permit (estancia por estudios) does not count as residence, so non-EU students pay the non-EU rate. The current price decree came out in June; prices for the next academic year are not published yet. We confirm the exact fee for your program before you apply.
What a credit costs at UB
€ per credit, full-degree students, before annual fees
- Bachelor's (Grau), full degree€17.69
- Official master's, most programs€82
- Master's for a regulated profession€71
- Selected business and economics master's€95–110
Programs and the degree you receive
UB offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs across a network of city campuses, including Diagonal, Mundet and Bellvitge (medicine and health sciences).
Most bachelor's programs are taught in Catalan and Spanish. The language of each subject is announced before the year starts. You can usually write assignments and exams in Catalan or Spanish.
English-taught options are limited and mostly at master's level. The MSc in Economics is taught entirely in English and asks for English at B2. At bachelor's level, English Studies and International Business may be options; check each program's language before you apply.
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Admission requirements for international students
For a bachelor's, you apply through Catalonia's central system; for a master's, directly through the UB portal. You submit the application yourself; we prepare and check everything with you first.
Bachelor's at UB: admission steps
1
Check whether you need homologation — IB Diploma holders and graduates of EU school systems enter without it. Graduates of other systems (India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Bangladesh and others) must have their school certificate recognized as the Spanish título de Bachiller.
2
Apply for homologation with Spain's Ministry of Education — submit your certificate and grades for at least the last 3 years, with apostille or legalization and an official translation. By law the ministry decides within 3 months of a complete file, so start early.
3
Take the entrance exams — non-EU applicants sit either the PAU in Catalonia (Spanish language and literature, a foreign language, history or history of philosophy, one subject exam) or the PCE exams through UNEDasiss. There is no route based on the certificate alone.
4
Get your admission grade — in Catalonia it is 0.4 × your exam average + 0.6 × your school grade, plus up to 4 points from subject exams, for a maximum of 14. Through UNEDasiss, without PCE exams your score cannot exceed 6 out of 10.
5
Plan the exam calendar — UNEDasiss accreditation runs online from February 4 to December 1. The next exam calendar is not out yet; based on the last intake, expect registration in March–April and exams at the end of May. The May–June exams take place in Spain.
Master's at UB: admission steps
1
Choose your program and check its language requirement — English-taught programs usually ask for B2.
2
Watch the program's own deadlines — applications open from January, and each program sets its own periods. The MSc in Economics accepts applications from December 1 to June 8. UB advises non-EU applicants to use the first period to leave time for the visa.
3
Pay the fees — €30.21 per application; an application is not reviewed until it is paid. If your bachelor's is from outside the EU, UB checks its level for a fee of €218.15. You do not need to homologate your bachelor's degree for this.
4
Prepare certified documents — after admission, foreign degrees usually need apostille or legalization and a translation.
5
Receive the admission letter — UB's academic office issues it for your visa application.
Apostille or legalization depends on your country. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain use the apostille. Nigeria, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are not in the Hague Convention, so documents go through the full legalization chain: your education ministry, your foreign ministry, then the Spanish consulate.
What to know before you apply
- Language is the main barrier. Catalonia's official target is 80% of bachelor's teaching hours in Catalan. UB generally recommends at least B1 in the language of your subjects. If you do not speak Spanish or Catalan, focus on the English-taught master's.
- Bachelor's entry requires exams and homologation. Plan a full year: homologation (3 months by law from a complete file), exam preparation and the June application. A missing stamp or translation delays everything, so we check documents before you file.
- Master's fees are not the local rate. At €82 per credit, most programs cost about €5,060 a year for non-EU students; some business programs cost more.
Rankings and accreditation
UB is a public university of Catalonia. In the QS World University Rankings, it ranks =165 and first in Spain, ahead of Complutense (199) and UAB (211). In the THE World University Rankings, UB ranks =145, also first in Spain.
Housing and student life
UB runs the Col·legi Major Penyafort-Montserrat in the Diagonal area, next to the pharmacy faculty, with metro line L3 and tram nearby. It has 380 places in single and shared rooms, with full board (three meals a day) and cleaning, from October 1 to June 30. The last published price was about €10,400 for the academic year. In the last intake, applications opened in January, so apply early in the year you start.
Most international students rent a room in a shared flat. A room in Barcelona costs about €600 a month on average. Living costs without rent are about €827 a month, and a monthly transport pass is about €22.80. With a shared room, plan on about €1,100–1,450 a month.
Student visa
Non-EU students apply for a Spanish student visa at the consulate at least 2 months before classes start. Extranjería decides on the permit within 7 days, then the consulate issues the visa within 1 month. You need proof of funds of 100% of IPREM for each month: €600 a month, or €7,200 for a year, not counting tuition. You also need full private health insurance without copayments, waiting periods or coverage limits, a police certificate if you are 18+ and staying over 6 months, and a passport valid for at least 1 more year.
During a university program you can work up to 30 hours a week without a separate permit, within Catalonia. After graduation, bachelor's and master's graduates can apply for a job-search permit of up to 24 months. Full steps are on our Spain student visa page and our guide to studying and working in Spain.
Other options
If UB's languages or exams do not fit your plan, compare other routes. At Complutense University of Madrid, non-EU bachelor's students pay about €6,823–8,186 a year, and fees also differ widely between Catalan universities. Private universities such as UCAM, Universidad Europea and CEU San Pablo University offer more programs in English. Start with study in Spain, admission requirements and master's in Spain.
14 questions to ask before you pay the deposit
Deposits are almost never refundable. Ask these by email before paying — and keep the university's answer on record.
- What to ask about the programme, accreditation and the degree
- What tuition does not include and when a deposit is refunded
- Who files the visa application — you or the university
- Five red flags that mean you should not pay
Not sure whether your certificate or degree meets UB's requirements? Send us your documents. We check them against Universitat de Barcelona's requirements for your program, map out the exam and application timeline, and compare 2–3 alternatives in Spain that fit your language level and budget. The first consultation is free — write to us through the contact form, WhatsApp or Telegram.
