Two Madrid Universities Named Among 100 Best In Europe
The recently published QS university rankings named Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Universidad Complutense de Madrid among the top 100 universities in Europe in 2026.
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid was ranked 71st, improving its ranking of 72nd in 2025, while the Universidad Complutense de Madrid was ranked 78th, falling 17 places from 61st in 2025.
Three other universities in Spain were included in the top 100: Universidad de Barcelona, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, and Universidad Pompeu Fabra. This placed Spain in fifth place overall out of the 42 countries evaluated, with the United Kingdom taking first place.
The consultancy firm QS uses various measurements to create the rankings, including Research and Discovery, Employability and Outcomes, Learning Experience, Global Engagement, and Sustainability.
Spanish universities ranked highly for Employability and Global Engagement but fell short in their research performance. Ten Spanish universities featured in the top 50 universities in terms of internationalisation, however, none featured in the top 50 for research impact nor volume.
In a statement to El País, senior vice president of QS, Ben Sowter, stated: “Spain must combine its international appeal with sustained funding, specific incentives and structural support for high-impact research and global academic talent.”
In 2023 Spain set a goal of allocating 1 per cent of GDP to higher education before 2030. However, currently only 0.7 per cent of GDP is being invested, compared to an average of 1.2 per cent in the EU. In Madrid, only 0.4 per cent of GDP is spent on higher education, making it the region which invests the least amount of money per student in Spain.
In October 2025 the Universidad Complutense de Madrid requested a loan of 35 million euros from the Madrid regional government to be able to pay staff salaries.
