Go Global Office of Global Engagement

Autonomous University of Barcelona

City: Barcelona
Language of instruction: EnglishSpanish
  • The Autonomous University of Barcelona, also known as UAB  is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain.
  • The campus is about 20 km (12 mi) away from the centre of Barcelona; accessible by air, train, coach or car.
  • Most UAB academic activity is on the Cerdanyola campus. Several centres exist in Manresa, Sabadell, Terrassa, Sant Cugat del Vallès and Barcelona.
  • UAB is the second best university in Spain, after the University of Barcelona, located in the same city.   
  • Ranked among the top 200 in the world ( # 176, 2020 QS World_University Rankings, # 157, 2020 THE World University Rankings) 
  • Consists of 57 departments in the experimental, life, social and human sciences, spread among 13 faculties/schools.
  • The Autonomous University of Barcelona is among the best education establishments in Spain and the European Union in terms of the quality of teaching and research; 40,000 students and close to 4000 academic and research staff.
  • As of 2019/2020 UAB offers over 100 bachelor's degrees and over 140 masters degrees and over 80 PhD programmes.
  • In its mission, the Autonomous University of Barcelona defines itself as a public Catalan university with an international outlook.

Read student reports

Partner university’s areas of study

  • Arts
  • Commerce (UBCV)
  • Management (UBCO)

While Catalan is the primary language of instruction at UAB, a wide range of subjects are offered in Spanish and English. Different faculties offer a wide range of undegraduate degree courses in English ( Arts and Humanities, Health Sciences, Social Sciences, etc) Subjects in English


Eligibility and Timing

Terms Offered

  • Term 1
  • Term 2
  • Full year Term 1 + 2 (UBC Term 1 start)

Who can go?

Students in the Faculty of Arts (UBC-V), Commerce (UBC-V), Management (UBC-O), Arts & Sciences (UBC-O)

Term Dates

Term 1 - Fall: September to early-February

Term 2 - Spring: February to early-July

Timing

  • Students attending UAB semester 1 will not be able to return to UBC for term 2

Credits

Course equivalency formula

ECTS credits divided by 2 = UBC credits

Credit transfer process

The transfer credit process takes approximately 16 weeks following each submission deadline. You should allow sufficient time to meet important deadlines that may affect you (e.g. application for graduation, registration in courses that require prerequisites that you took on exchange, entry to a major/honours program, etc.)

For more information about Go Global transfer credit

Grading scheme

 The following criteria shall be used to score student records:

- matrícula d'honor (distinction with honour): 4 points
- excel·lent (distinction): 3 points
- notable (merit): 2 points
- aprovat (pass): 1 point
- suspès (fail): 0 points
- validated module: 1 point
- not present/non-assessable: no value given
- student withdrawals: no value given 

Student Record Scores


Course Information

* Students who have special requirements or require academic accommodation should contact a Go Global advisor regarding their needs at least six weeks prior to the application deadline.

Type of Go Global Experiences

  • Exchange (pay UBC tuition)

Course information and restrictions

  • Students MUST enrol 50% of their credits from their host faculty. The rest can be taken from other faculties (not affiliated schools), but it is not guaranteed.

Partner Course Information


Transfer Credits And Equivalent Courses At This University

Check out the courses that previous students have transferred back to UBC in the last 5 years using our Course Search Tool. If you don't see a particular course you listed, it simply means you need to submit it as a new course request through the Transfer Credit Portal while on your Go Global experience. For more information, please visit the Go Global Transfer Credit webpage.

*Areas of study at partner universities are subject to change. The tool is for reference only - research the partners' websites for additional course information.

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Scholarships and awards

The Go Global Award $1000

All students accepted to Go Global for Exchange, Research Abroad, or Study Abroad travel programs are automatically considered for this award. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you'll be notified of your award after you're accepted to Go Global and after you get nominated to apply to the partner university.

Additional awards

Students who are eligible for awards may receive one UBC or UBC-affiliated international learning award. If you're eligible, you are always offered the highest-value award. Unless stated otherwise, you need to meet eligibility criteria set out by the University Senate regarding awards.

Check out international learning awards and eligibility.


Information for US students: 

If you are a student from the United States, please check the US Department of Education Lookup Tool to ensure that any partner institution you wish to attend on Exchange is Title IV ‘eligible’ for Federal Student Aid for the year in which you intend to study there. For institutions outside of the US, select “Foreign Country” from the “State” dropdown menu.

If you attend an eligible institution, then you may receive Title IV federal student loans while on Exchange.

If you attend an ineligible institution:

  • You will not be eligible for US federal student loans,
  • You may invalidate any US student aid you have previously received for your studies at UBC,
  • You may be required to immediately begin repaying your US student loans, and
  • You may not be eligible for any future US student aid for the remainder of your studies at UBC.

Types of accommodation available

  • Off-campus
  • On-campus

Housing notes

Vila Universitària is the residential complex of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, located on its campus, which has 812 apartments with a total accommodation capacity for 2193 people. The apartments at Vila Universitària enjoy a very privileged setting: they are located between the campus and the forest and have beautiful views, good train and bus connections and are about 45 minutes from the centre of Barcelona which is Plaza Catalunya. Accomodation at the UAB Campus

COST OF LIVING ( monthly estimation)

Accommodation: 250-500€
Food: 250-350€
Transport: 60-80€
Personal and leisure expenses: 160-220€