UC3M was established by an Act of the Spanish Parliament on 5 May 1989, within the framework of the University Reform Act of 1983. From the outset it was intended to be a relatively small, innovative, public university, providing teaching of the highest quality and focused primarily on research. Its first Chancellor was Professor Gregorio Peces-Barba.
All UC3M courses are divided into three groups, (bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees), with the following programmes:
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid is a multidisciplinary university that researches and transfers its knowledge in different areas and sectors that demand the different challenges of research, transfer and market programs, both at local, national and international levels.
The employment rate of UC3M graduates reaches 90,6%.
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By TopUniversities
Dropped 13 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 285 | 301 | 314 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By U.S. News & World Report
Climbed 57 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 953 | 951 | 894 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 801 | 801 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| - | 901 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Its three Residence Halls have more than over a thousand places available: Fernando de los Ríos and Gregorio Peces Barba in Getafe, and Fernando Abril Martorell in Leganés.
All of them want to provide a true home away from home for students and faculty during their university stay.
For this reason, as well as covering the basic needs of food and rest, the residence halls also offer cultural activities, forums and meetings which will contribute to the personal development of the residents.
For teaching and research the University has four libraries: Library of Social Sciences and Law, and Library of Humanities and Library and Information Science in Getafe, Library of Engineering in Leganés and the Library of Colmenarejo Campus.
The UC3M is integrated into the Madrid Network of Healthy Universities (REMUS, in its Spanish acronym) the main objective of which is to promote health in the university community. Committed to this purpose, we want to help you to have a healthy lifestyle, encouraging you to acquire habits that favour physical, mental and emotional health.
UC3M has modern sports facilities, including a swimming pool, spa, paddle tennis courts, tennis courts, squash courts, bouldering courts, climbing wall, 7-a-side football pitch and beach volleyball court, indoor cycling and fitness rooms, and multipurpose rooms for different activities.
Practicing sports at the University is very easy and convenient, since it saves you from having to travel, and it also provides undeniable health benefits and has even been shown to influence better academic performance. Find out about the sports centres on campus and the possibilities they offer.
At UC3M there are more than 60 student associations with different themes: cooperation, solidarity, culture, sports, politics, technology... Consult the directory here, separated by campus, of all the associations currently working at the University.
Based on 100 reviews
My personal experience has been very good; even though I�m only just finishing my second year, I can say that I�ve learned a lot. The level of demand is very high, and the degree is much more challenging than I expected, but thanks to that I�m confident I can become a good professional.
It's a university where the professors strive to enhance your personal and professional skills, both generally and individually, so you can reach your full potential. It helped me hone my interpersonal skills, enabling me to become the successful and ambitious professional I am today.
The course is very complete, the structure could be improved by being more organized but overall I've learned a lot and I like the teachers. Campus life could be improved by a few little things, I would like to see more diversity.
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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