Scholarships to Study at Top 10 Universities in Spain

Spain is one of the most classic study abroad destinations in the world. The country is rich in culture, history, and gives students the opportunity to finally put to use a language they’ve most likely been learning since middle school. Spain also has a great educational system. You will have the opportunity to receive high-quality education no matter what your major is and no matter which university you choose for your studies at Spain. In addition, the Spanish Government and Spanish universities have collaborated in giving students financial support by offering those having financial difficulties and/or those who are exceptionally talented scholarships and grants.

1. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) is a Spanish public university established in 1968. It is located in northern Madrid. Its main campus, Cantoblanco, is located near the cities of Alcobendas, San Sebastián de los Reyes and Tres Cantos. Throughout its history, the UAM has been one of Spain’s most prominent higher education institutions, being ranked first among Spanish universities by the El Mundo University Supplement (Las 50 Carreras), by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), by the Times Higher Education Supplement, and by the Academic Ranking of World Universities yearly published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UAM is also ranked among the QS Top 50 Under 50 as it is one of the best young universities.

There are scholarship programs provided for international students at UAM. These scholarship programs are designed in collaboration with other organizations that support students to study, with financial aid.

• MAE AECID Scholarship Program: scholarships for both Spanish and international students, of legal age, holding a degree in higher education (and in some cases, university students in their final year) or those who can demonstrate professional experience in certain activities, depending on the particular grant applied for.
• The Ford Foundation Fellowship Program: funds postgraduate study programs (Master’s or Doctoral) for talented people from one of the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam.
• The Fundación Carolina Scholarship Program: postgraduate scholarships for Latin American teachers, researchers and professionals wanting to specialize and update their knowledge.

Visit the Grants for International Students page at www.uam.es.

2. Universitat de Barcelona

The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. Established in 1450, it is the fifth-oldest university in Spain and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is also considered the best university in the country and the 166^th best in the world according to the QS World University Rankings, with 73 undergraduate programs, 273 graduate programs and 48 doctorate programs to over 63,000 students. The University of Barcelona is also home to three large research foundations: the Barcelona Science Park Foundation, which includes the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona; the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, and; the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research.

The University of Barcelona offers financial support to all its students including those studying in bachelor’s degree courses, master’s degree courses, and doctoral programs.

• Equity grant
• General grant
• Grants for students with difficult personal circumstances
• Mobility grant – Erasmus
• Departmental collaboration grant (MECD)
• UB collaboration grant
• Financial aid for participation in international mobility programs
• UB Grants for Els Juliols summer courses
• UB grants for exchanges with foreign universities
• Drac Program grants
• MAEC-AECID grants
• Trainee teaching and research staff grants (ADR)
• Trainee teaching staff grants awarded by the Ministry of Education (FPU-ME grants)
• Trainee research staff grants awarded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (FPI-MICINN grant)
• Trainee research staff grants awarded by the University of Barcelona (APIF-UB grants)
• Trainee research staff grants awarded by the Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (FI-AGUAR grants)

Visit Grants and Financial Aid for further details. Learn more about the University of Barcelona at www.ub.edu.

3. Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It is a pioneering institution in terms of fostering research. It is one of the best universities in Spain – ranked 193^rd globally and 3^rd countrywide according to the QS World University Rankings 2019. The University as established in 1968 and now has more than 40,000 students enrolled in 57 departments and 13 faculties.

There is a variety of grants offered to students at UAB. These grants can be searched on the UABsearcher (a search engine for grants, financial aids and calls). Here is a list of some of the grants and financial aid offered at the UAB:

• AGAUR grants
• ICEX financial aids
• Erasmus Mundus Grants
• CatalunyaCaixa grants
• “la Caixa” grants
• RecerCaixa grants
• Universia grants
• Human Frontier Science Program
• EMBO Fellowships
• Humboldt Research Fellowships (Humboldt Foundation)
• Max Weber Program for Postdoctoral Studies (EUI)
• Novartis Grants
• Becas postdoctorales de la Fundación Ramón Areces

Learn more about the Autonomous University of Barcelona at www.uab.cat.

4. Complutense University of Madrid

The Complutense University of Madrid is a public research university located in Madrid, Spain. Established in 1293, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. The University enrolls over 86,000 students, being the 3^rd largest non-distance European university by enrollment, and consistently ranks as one of the top universities in Spain. According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the University is widely regarded as the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. It is also ranked among the top 200 universities in the world according to the QS.

As a commitment to supporting students and rewarding academic excellence, the University and other institutions offer a wide range of financial support. These funding opportunities are available for undergraduate programs, Master’s programs, and PhD programs.

• MECD Scholarships
• Community of Madrid Excellence Scholarships
• UCM Scholarships
• SICUE
• UCM Practical Training Grants
• Departmental collaboration grants (MECD)
• International scholarships and aids – UCM students
• Introductory scholarships for research and undergraduate students

Visit Scholarships and Funding for further details. Learn more about the Complutense University of Madrid at www.ucm.es.

5. University of Navarra

The University of Navarra is a private not-for-profit university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Spain. It was founded in 1952, and has 6 campuses: Pamplona, San Sebastián, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich and New York City. It confers 35 official degrees, 13 dual degrees and more than 38 Master’s programs in 14 faculties, 2 university schools, 17 institutes, its graduate business school, IESE (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa or the International Graduate School of Management), ISSA (Instituto Superior de Secretariado y Administracion or the Superior Institute of Secretarial and Administrative Studies), and other centers and institutions. The University is ranked as the best private university in Spain. It also ranks amongst the best universities in Europe and the world.

The University or Navarra offers financial support to all its Bachelor’s students, Master’s students and Doctoral students. There are two types of scholarships offered: the University of Navarra Scholarships and the Public Organizations Scholarships.

• University of Navarra Scholarships
• Academic Excellence Credits Program
• Alumni Scholarship Program
• Incentive Plan of Degree Studies
• Public Organizations Scholarships
• Spanish Government (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports)
• Government of Navarra (Department of Education)
• Basque Government (Department of Education, Linguistic Policy and Culture)

Other scholarships are also offered by the Santander Group and the University of Navarra each year, to students of any Master’s degree program at the University’s Pamplona, San Sebastián and Madrid campuses. This particular scholarship is available to Spanish, European and Latin American students. The scholarships can cover 25% of the tuition fees. Applications must be sent to the miUNAV Portal.

Visit Scholarships and Grants for further details. Learn more about the University of Navarra at www.unav.edu.

6. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Charles III University of Madrid), abbreviated as US3M, is a public university in the Community of Madrid, Spain. uC3M is an institution with a distinctly international profile. It offers a broad range of master’s and bachelor’s degree programs in English and nearly 20% of the student body is made up of international students. It ranks the first university in Spain and the third in Europe in the number of its students participating in the Erasmus student exchange program. UC3M has a strong reputation in business subjects, in particular economics, which is regularly ranked amongst the top 50 institutions worldwide. The University also ranks among the top 250 universities worldwide according to the QS World University Rankings 2019.

UC3M has numerous scholarships and grants to offer to its Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral students. For the Bachelor’s students, the offered scholarships are:

• UC3M Scholarship and Grants for New Students
• UC3M Talent Program: UC3M Access Scholarships and UC3M Destination Scholarships
• Alumni Scholarships
• Spanish Ministry of Education Grants
• Financial Aid from the Madrid Autonomous Community for UC3M Student Tuition
• Scholarships for Excellence from the Madrid Autonomous Community
• Special Financial Aid for UC3M Students Undergoing Hardship

UC3M offers two types of grants for Master’s degree studies:

• Financial aid / scholarships for tuition
• Full scholarships

There is also a wide range of pre-doctoral scholarships that cover tuition fees (partial or full) and may allow UC3M to offer the candidates a work contract as a research assistant.

• Financial aids for university faculty training (FPU) – Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
• Financial aids for predoctoral training contracts (former FPI scholarships) – Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
• UC3M Scholarships
• Pre-doctoral research training scholarships
• Scholarships for pre-doctoral contracts funded by research projects
• Other Scholarships
• La Caixa
• Fundación Carolina

Visit www.uc3m.es/studies for further details. Learn more about UC3M at www.uc3m.es.

7. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech (UPC)

Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), currently referred to as BarcelonaTech, is the largest engineering university in Catalonia, Spain. It also offers programs in other disciplines such as mathematics and architecture. UPC’s objectives are based on internationalization, as it is one of Europe’s technical universities with the most international PhD students and the university with the largest share of international master’s degree students. UPC is a university aiming at achieving the highest degree of engineering / technical excellence and has bilateral agreements with several top-ranked European universities. The University was founded in 1971 as the Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona through the merger of engineering and architecture schools founded during the 19^th century. UPC has now been ranked among the top 300 universities worldwide.

Financial support for studies at UPC can be obtained from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (MECD) grants. The MECD grants cover credits enrolled for the first time and it can be available if your income and academic performance make you eligible. You can also try for the EQUITAT grants from the Catalonian Government, if you are a student of a qualifying master’s degree.

Find out if you are eligible for the scholarships on the Fees, Grants and Payment Options page (for Bachelor’s students) or on the Fees and Grants page (for Master’s students). Learn more about UPC at www.upc.edu.

8. Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) is a public university in Barcelona, Spain. It was created by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia in 1990, and was named after the linguist Pompeu Fabra, an expert on the Catalan language. UPF was designated as an International Excellence Campus by the Spanish Ministry of Education in 2010. UPF has recently been rated as the top Spanish university by the (London) Times Higher Education Supplement. Academically, UPF is the only Spanish and Catalan university along with the Autonomous University of Barcelona among the top 150 best in the world according to Times Higher Education academic classification of universities, and it is one of the 7 fastest-rising young universities in the world.

UPC offer numerous scholarship opportunities to whoever that wants to study or are currently studying at the University. The scholarship options are:

• Scholarships and grants for undergraduates
• GRAL (General Scholarships)
• MATRC-EQUITY
• University Community Scholarship
• Salary Grants UPF Program for new undergraduate students of the UPF
• Mobility grants for students of the Bachelor’s degree program in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
• COLAB
• AGAUR Language Scholarships
• Basque Government
• Talent Scholarships – Fundació Caixa d’Enginyers
• Scholarships and grants for Master’s students
• GRAL
• MATRC-EQUITY
• University Community Scholarship
• UPF
• Scholarships and grants for PhD students
• Scholarships of the Chinese Government
• Becas de colaboración para desarrollar estudios y trabajos en materias del Centro de Estudios Jurídicos y Formación Especializada
• V Call for scholarships “Oportunidad al Talento” de la Fundación ONCE
• Student Loans
• FINAN
• PREBOARD
• Erasmus+ Master Loan
• Santander loan

Other scholarship programs and details on each scholarship can be found on Scholarships and Grants. Learn more about UPF at www.upf.edu.

9. Universitat Politècnica de València

The Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) is a Spanish university located in Valencia, with a focus on science and technology. It was founded in 1968 as the Higher Polytechnic School of Valencia and became a university in 1971, but some of its schools are more than 100 years old. The Polytechnic University of Valencia consists of three campuses (Valencia, Gandia and Alcoy) and 14 schools and faculties. The University offers 48 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs, and 81 Doctoral degree programs. The Polytechnic University of Valencia is considered one of the best universities in the country. It also ranks 310^th in the world according to the QS World University Rankings 2019.

To ensure that all students have the right to study at the university of their choice, the Spanish Ministry of Education, the Valencian Ministry of Education and the Universitat Politècnica de València itself offer a series of different scholarships and grants for university students studying in Spanish universities:

• Ministry of Education
• General grants: for students wishing to study in their own Autonomous Community.
• Accommodation grants: for students wishing to study in an Autonomous Community other than that of their family residence and are liable to pay rent.
• Valencian Ministry of Education: for students studying in universities in the Valencian Community.
• Universitat Politècnica de València
• Social action grants
• General call: aimed at students who can show that they come from a personal or family situation of special economic need and do not receive any other student scholarships or grants.
• Unforeseen circumstances: for those having economic difficulties and having it as an impact to be unable to continue studying.
• Meal grants students – facilitated by the Grants Department in Student Services
• Scholarships for development cooperation: to help recipients study or work in foreign universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations and other entities with social aims, within the framework of their studies.

Visit Scholarships and Grants to find out more. Learn more about the Universitat Politècnica de València at www.upv.es.

10. Universidad de Zaragoza

The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University is a university located in Zaragoza, in the Aragon region of Spain. Founded in 1542, it is one of the oldest universities in the country, with a history dating back to the Roman era. The University has over 40,000 students in its 22 faculties. It is the only public university in the region. Its activity is spread along the three provinces of Aragon, with teaching campuses and research centers in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza.

The University, in collaboration with the Spanish Government, offers scholarship opportunities to the students:

• Scholarships from the Ministry of Education
• Grants of general character for students enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program
• Collaboration Scholarships in University Departments.
• Scholarships and grants convened by the Government of Aragon: scholarships and grants for students enrolled in an undergraduate or Master’s degree program
• Grants for Strategic Master’s Degree Studies
• Mobility Scholarships in the University Campuses of Aragon.
• Scholarships and grants from the University of Zaragoza: scholarships and grants for students enrolled in an undergraduate, Master’s or Doctoral degree program, as well as excellence scholarships for new students.
• Scholarships organized by the Basque Government: for students enrolled in an undergraduate or Master’s degree program at the University of Zaragoza, with an administrative neighborhood in the Basque Country.

Visit the Scholarships and Grants page at www.unizar.es/estudiantes for further details. Learn more about the University of Zaragoza at www.unizar.es.