• #=371 QS Global World Ranking
  • PublicStatus
  • Very HighResearch Output
  • 24,217Total Students
  • 2,536Faculty
  • 3,231Int'l Students

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Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech is a public institution of Higher Education and Research.

UPC offers 64 bachelor’s degrees (some 100% taught in English) in the knowledge areas:

Aerospace Engineering 

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering 

Applied Sciences: Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Optics and Photonics

Architecture and Urban Planning

Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering

Computer Science

Engineering for Industry: Energy, Biomedical, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical and Materials Engineering 

Naval, Maritime and Nautical Engineering

Telecommunications and Electronic Systems Engineering


All of them are official Spanish degrees that allows the access to master's and doctoral programmes.

30,161 students are trained to become professionals in engineering, architecture, sciences and technology who have the knowledge, abilities and skill to take on new challenges in keeping with technological efficiency and sustainability criteria.

Student’s participation and leadership in research projects and work placements foster their relations with the world of work and bolster their autonomy and initiative. The University is therefore a space for knowledge that stimulates learning and personal growth with a dynamic, motivating teaching model.

In the 2020 edition of QS World University ranking by Subject, the UPC is ranked 21st in the world in Architecture and 23rd in Civil and Structural Engineering. It is also among the world’s top 100 universities in the field of Engineering and Technology and in the subjects Telecommunications, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Art and Design, and Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering. It is also the first Spanish University in Engineering and Technology and in Architecture and Civil Engineering.

UPC schools are at the service of learning, research and knowledge.

The UPC has a great presence throughout the Catalan territory, with 9 campuses distributed among 7 cities in Catalonia. We have schools in Barcelona and in several nearby towns: Castelldefels, Manresa, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Terrassa, and Vilanova i la Geltrú.

These training centres, with a long background in Higher Education, are well communicated in public transportation and are equipped with the facilities and services required for your education. We offer learning, research and community living spaces.

Discover the UPC campuses in all their extension, as well as their urban location. 

UPC has 12 libraries in its various Campus and Schools. Users can borrow books and use their study and working rooms.

The UPC has different top facilities and labs where to develop research projects, which have helped UPC become a benchmark university in Europe in innovation and technology transfer. An example of this is the Wage Channel, in our Maritime Engineering Laboratory. 

UPC, in collaboration with other public and private institutions, has created Research Centres with its own legal entity, internationally recognized, such as the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE), the Institute of Spatial Studies of Catalunya (IEEC) or the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC).

Many things make Barcelona a very attractive city to study and live in: its historical and architectural heritage, its cultural activities, its cosmopolitan nature, and its privileged location by the Mediterranean Sea. Barcelona has a strong international vibe. Studying here, you’re guaranteed to meet people from all over the world. So, if you’re looking for a truly international study abroad experience, Barcelona is a safe bet. According to QS Best Student Cities 2019 Ranking, Barcelona ranks amongst the 10 best student cities in Europe, and the first in Spain.

In addition, other services and equipments help complement university life in UPC, as Sports UPC, cultural programme UPCArts, the UPC's Centre for Development Cooperation, UPC orchestra and Chorus, and the student associative network of the university.

You will find a sports complex in Campus Nord (Barcelona), and 2 gym centres, one in Campus Sud (Barcelona) and the other in Terrassa Campus. You can also compete in sports leagues.

UPC, through the OMI, provide studens with the usual services requiered by the international community, such as: Information and advise about mobility calls, language courses, accomodation, foreign burocracy and different cultural and social activities of interest for international students.

This office also deals with the different mobility programmes, the renewal of residence permits and manages fee waivers in case of international scholarship agreements.

Check our welcome guide for international students to find more practical information.  

You will find the information about access and admission requirements and procedures through the following links:

Bachelor's degree

Access and admission: https://www.upc.edu/en/bachelors/access-and-admission

Master's degree

Access and admissionhttps://www.upc.edu/en/masters/access-and-admission

Doctoral programmes

Access and admission: https://doctorat.upc.edu/en/future-doctoral-candidates/access-and-admission

About

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech is a public institution of Higher Education and Research.

UPC offers 64 bachelor’s degrees (some 100% taught in English) in the knowledge areas:

Aerospace Engineering 

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering 

Applied Sciences: Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Optics and Photonics

Architecture and Urban Planning

Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering

Computer Science

Engineering for Industry: Energy, Biomedical, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical and Materials Engineering 

Naval, Maritime and Nautical Engineering

Telecommunications and Electronic Systems Engineering


All of them are official Spanish degrees that allows the access to master's and doctoral programmes.

30,161 students are trained to become professionals in engineering, architecture, sciences and technology who have the knowledge, abilities and skill to take on new challenges in keeping with technological efficiency and sustainability criteria.

Student’s participation and leadership in research projects and work placements foster their relations with the world of work and bolster their autonomy and initiative. The University is therefore a space for knowledge that stimulates learning and personal growth with a dynamic, motivating teaching model.

In the 2020 edition of QS World University ranking by Subject, the UPC is ranked 21st in the world in Architecture and 23rd in Civil and Structural Engineering. It is also among the world’s top 100 universities in the field of Engineering and Technology and in the subjects Telecommunications, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Art and Design, and Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering. It is also the first Spanish University in Engineering and Technology and in Architecture and Civil Engineering.

UPC schools are at the service of learning, research and knowledge.

The UPC has a great presence throughout the Catalan territory, with 9 campuses distributed among 7 cities in Catalonia. We have schools in Barcelona and in several nearby towns: Castelldefels, Manresa, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Terrassa, and Vilanova i la Geltrú.

These training centres, with a long background in Higher Education, are well communicated in public transportation and are equipped with the facilities and services required for your education. We offer learning, research and community living spaces.

Discover the UPC campuses in all their extension, as well as their urban location. 

UPC has 12 libraries in its various Campus and Schools. Users can borrow books and use their study and working rooms.

The UPC has different top facilities and labs where to develop research projects, which have helped UPC become a benchmark university in Europe in innovation and technology transfer. An example of this is the Wage Channel, in our Maritime Engineering Laboratory. 

UPC, in collaboration with other public and private institutions, has created Research Centres with its own legal entity, internationally recognized, such as the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE), the Institute of Spatial Studies of Catalunya (IEEC) or the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC).

Many things make Barcelona a very attractive city to study and live in: its historical and architectural heritage, its cultural activities, its cosmopolitan nature, and its privileged location by the Mediterranean Sea. Barcelona has a strong international vibe. Studying here, you’re guaranteed to meet people from all over the world. So, if you’re looking for a truly international study abroad experience, Barcelona is a safe bet. According to QS Best Student Cities 2019 Ranking, Barcelona ranks amongst the 10 best student cities in Europe, and the first in Spain.

In addition, other services and equipments help complement university life in UPC, as Sports UPC, cultural programme UPCArts, the UPC's Centre for Development Cooperation, UPC orchestra and Chorus, and the student associative network of the university.

You will find a sports complex in Campus Nord (Barcelona), and 2 gym centres, one in Campus Sud (Barcelona) and the other in Terrassa Campus. You can also compete in sports leagues.

UPC, through the OMI, provide studens with the usual services requiered by the international community, such as: Information and advise about mobility calls, language courses, accomodation, foreign burocracy and different cultural and social activities of interest for international students.

This office also deals with the different mobility programmes, the renewal of residence permits and manages fee waivers in case of international scholarship agreements.

Check our welcome guide for international students to find more practical information.  

You will find the information about access and admission requirements and procedures through the following links:

Bachelor's degree

Access and admission: https://www.upc.edu/en/bachelors/access-and-admission

Master's degree

Access and admissionhttps://www.upc.edu/en/masters/access-and-admission

Doctoral programmes

Access and admission: https://doctorat.upc.edu/en/future-doctoral-candidates/access-and-admission

Available programs

University highlights

QS World University Ranking

  • 2012
    #350
  • 2014
    #345
  • 2015
    #337
  • 2016
    #299
  • 2017
    #=321
  • 2018
    #275
  • 2019
    #=275
  • 2020
    #300
  • 2021
    #=314
  • 2022
    #=319
  • 2023
    #=343
  • 2024
    #354
  • 2025
    #=371

Student & Staff

Total students
24,217

24%
76%

International students
3,231

68%
32%

Total faculty staff
2,536

193
2343

Total students
24,217

24%
76%

International students
3,231

68%
32%

Total faculty staff
2,536

2343
193
QS Stars is a rating system that helps you select the right university based on your interests. It provides a detailed look at an institution, identifying which universities rate highest in the specific topics that matter to you, like facilities, graduate employability, social responsibility, inclusiveness, and more.

Campus locations

Barcelona- Diagonal North campus,

Jordi Girona, 1 , Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain , 08034

C. Jordi Girona 31, Barcelona, ES,

C. Jordi Girona 31 , Barcelona , Spain , 08034

Barcelona-Diagonal South campus,

Avenida Diagonal, 647 , Barcelona , Barcleona , Spain , 08028

Barcelona/Sant Adrià de Besòs-Diagonal-Besòs campus,

Eduard Maristany, 10 , Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain , 08930

Barcelona-Nautical campus,

Pla de Palau, 18 , Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain , 08003

Baix Llobregat campus,

Esteve Terrades ,10 , Castelldefels , Barcelona , Spain , 08860

Manresa Campus,

Av. de les Bases de Manresa, 61 , Manresa , Barcelona , Spain , 08242

Sant Cugat del Vallès campus,

Pere Serra, 1-15 , Sant Cugat del Vallès , Barcelona , Spain , 08173

Terrassa campus,

Colom 1 , Terrassa , Barcelona , Spain , 08222

Vilanova i la Geltrú campus,

Víctor Balager, 1 , Vilanova i la Geltrú , Barcelona , Spain , 08800

+ 7 More Locations

English language requirements

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) EN