Pompeu Fabra University
trusts
HousingAnywhere
with accommodation for their students since 2014

• Founded in 1990

• 10,000 students

• 1,000 international students

• 592 professors, 670 administrative staff

• Over 40 English-taught courses

• HousingAnywhere partner since July 2014

Campus Facilities

The campus at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona is well-designed to accommodate its 10,000 or so students, with everything you need to live the life of leisure (and hard graft!) on campus.

Your UPF student card gives you access to all of the buildings, facilities and services spread around campus, including:

• The library

• IT services

• Cafeterias

• Sports hall

• Campus bookshop

On campus you can also find societies and cultural activities like drama, cinema and theatre. There’s free WiFi all over campus and wherever you look, there are students doing whatever it is students do - mostly lounging around in the Barcelona sun ignoring their studies! There are great places to eat and drink around the city centre, too, so make sure you check them out.

As an added bonus, the campus is just a stone’s throw from the gorgeous sandy beaches which litter the Catalan coast.

Courses

Only entering its 27th year, the Pompeu Fabra University is already being hailed as one of the foremost academic institutions in Europe, featuring prominently on global academic success lists ahead of all other Spanish rivals. A large part of that is, of course, down to the quality of teaching.

If you’re thinking of studying at UPF, you’ll be able to choose from:

• 26 bachelor’s degrees

• 32 master’s degrees

• 9 doctoral programmes

Across various departments:

• Health and Life Sciences

• Economic and Business Sciences

• Political and Social Sciences

• Communication

• Law

• Humanities and Translation and Interpretation

For a fairly small university, this is an impressive range of subjects. Not only that, but UPF is also one of the seven fastest-rising young universities in the world, as well as ranking inside the World Top 50 for economics and business!

International Dimension

In order to make your transition to live in the Catalonian capital as smooth as possible, we’ve prepared several help guides on specific parts of life in Barcelona:

• Moving to Barcelona

• Cost of living

• Health insurance

• Practical information for living in Spain, like registering with the municipality

In addition, UPF is the only university in Spain to have been awarded the Certificate for Quality in Internationalization, a measure of the huge success the university has had in building international relations. Exchange agreements with over 250 universities worldwide enables UPF to take on around 1,000 students (or 10% of the entire student population) every single year, a large number of which are Master’s or PhD students.

A major attraction for international students is the whopping 40+ courses taught entirely in English. Most exchange students will arrive with some competency in Spanish, though most will lack the ability to follow classes and sit exams in the language. These English-taught courses open the barriers to less linguistically-developed students.

Getting Here

The public transport system in Barcelona is comprehensive and extremely efficient - it also helps that the centre of the city actually isn’t as big as you might think! However, even spreading outwards into the suburbs and neighbouring areas, transport links are easy to find and, using the bus, metro and tram systems, you can get just about anywhere with minimal hassle.

Check out our guide to public transport in Barcelona for a full overview of the different modes of transport, ticket prices and so on.

Since the university campus is in the centre itself, getting there could not be easier. The L3 metro stop "Drassanes" is just a few hundred metres from the campus gates on its west side, while “Barceloneta” is a similar distance to the east. The number 88 bus also goes straight to the campus.

If you’re already in the centre somewhere, it’s usually easiest to just walk or cycle. The weather is usually gorgeous and a short jaunt in the sun won’t do you any harm! Seriously though, the university location makes it super easy to find, no matter where you are.

Student Neighbourhoods

Some cities have unique areas which seem to draw students in droves, while in others the young academics spread themselves out without any discernible pattern or trend: in Barcelona, it’s the former.

Gracia, El Born and El Gótico are all hugely popular neighborhoods among students.

Gracia

Gracia is one of those unique areas which never really existed prior to the past few decades. The population is split between:

• Elderly Catalan people who have probably never even moved house

• Young, politically-aware and artsy locals

• Internationals, lured by the promises of trendy bars and new ideas

It’s a diverse crowd, but the students of Barcelona love it. It has the feel of a local spot with the energy and vitality of a youthful, multicultural one.

El Born

Nowhere in the city is cooler or more progressive than El Born, the trend capital of the city. With boutique shops, fancy dining establishments and grand houses, it’s not your average "student digs"-type area, but there are affordable apartments in the mix. If you’ve got the cash, then shelling out for an apartment in El Born will be well worth the money!

El Gótico

Known for its reputation as the "underground" part of the city, El Gótico is bursting with bars, clubs, restaurants, music and all the energy and good vibes you could imagine. It’s also very popular among tourists and is generally a busy, popular area. Also pretty easy to get lost until you learn your way around...

Common Housing Practices

If you’re moving to the city, you could probably benefit from reading our comprehensive guide for finding affordable student housing in Barcelona. We cover everything from rental costs, to finding an apartment, the different areas of the city and a wealth of Barcelona-specific advice for students.

In the meantime, let’s run over the essentials. Barcelona isn’t the cheapest city in Europe as far as renting a room goes, and most students will want to buddy-up with a few mates to reduce the cost of living. Sharing a 3-4 bed apartment will cost a lot less than taking on a studio or one-bad - you’re probably looking at €350-500 per month.

As with most cities, the easiest way to find an apartment is to look online. The Housing Anywhere Barcelona search is probably the easiest option as we regularly update the site with rooms (private, shared and studio) which you can book through the site quickly and easily.

An important factor to remember is that you’ll need to pay a deposit on the apartment - in Barcelona, you could be looking at 2-3 months’ rent. Add paying the first month up-front and suddenly you have a huge investment. Better start saving!

Scam artists are fairly prolific in Barcelona, so always go through legitimate and professional channels to find a room. If a deal seems too good to be true, acknowledge the pinch of salt and check it out thoroughly.

Student associations are a vital part of the exchange experience for many internationals. Groups like the Erasmus Student Network organize events and socials on behalf of the new arrivals to help integrate you into the university. It’s all run by volunteers, and actually working for the ESN could be a really rewarding experience!

Another well-known association at UPF is the Entrepreneurship Society - they’re all about advancing business skills, arranging workshops and inviting guest speakers to events to learn from their industrial experience.

But there’s more to studying abroad than associations which focus on your career and business acumen - check out some of the top things to do and see around Barcelona to make sure you get the full experience!

Events

Barcelona is the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region and is especially known for its art and architecture. It is a very lively city with many events and therefore also an attractive place for international students. It has many streets and areas that are especially interesting for students, such as La Rambla, Carrer Blai and Passeig de Garcia. In general, the city has something to offer for each taste. Either watching football games at Camp Nou, walking around the public market La Boqueria, relaxing at the beach or simply exploring the city`s streets, you will never be bored. The city is also known for organizing many music festivals, concerts, exhibitions, sport events... If you want to know more about events that are organized especially for students of the university, you can visit the website of ESN UPF.