Foreigners studying in Catalonia

Catalonia is becoming one of the most popular destinations for European university students in the Erasmus program: one out of six foreigners that come to Spain choose a Catalan university. Spain welcomes more foreign students than any other country in Europe (27,464).

Students with an Erasmus grant make up the bulk of foreign university students that come to Catalonia, although interest in PhDs, masters and postgraduate degrees is increasing. Since this grant program began in 1987 the number of foreign university students –normally from Italy, France, Germany, England or Belgium– at Catalan universities has grown steadily. Most opt for one of the public universities, mainly the UB, UAB, UPC or the UPF.

The areas of study that attract the most students, taking into account that the latest data is from the 2004-2005 school year, are social sciences, humanities and technical sciences. Demand for health sciences and science makes up 6% and 5%, respectively, a figure that can increase over the coming years thanks to the global growth of the biotechnology, biomedicine and medical technology sector and the internationalization of the BioRegion of Catalonia.

• First steps
• EU Citizens
• Citizens of other countries
• Homologation and validation of qualifications