- Established in 1990
- Two main objectives: to train professionals and citizens who are responsible and committed to civic values, and to contribute towards the development of research
- 9 560 undergraduate students per year, including 1 450 international students per year
- 3rd highest ranked university in Spain
- Many classes are held in antique renovated buildings
- Located in the heart of Barcelona, near the Olympic Village
- Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain
- Recognized as a global city because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, and international trade
- Located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Mediterranean
- Cultural roots that go back 2 000 years
- Abundance of museums, galleries, and natural beauty (including beaches and sprawling parks)
Visa + Requirements|Travel advice + advisories
Partner university’s areas of study
- Classes can also be taken in Catalan
- Students should be able to take notes and participate in classroom activities on a par with Spanish nationals (To determine your level, please self-assess with: European Language Portfolio Global Scale)
- UPF offers some regular academic courses in English and a Spanish Language and Culture Program (HESP)
- No previous knowledge of Spanish is required for these options
Eligibility and Timing
Terms Offered
Who can go?
- Students must have a minimum 72% cumulative academic average to attend UPF
- Students must be entering 3rd year or above to be eligible
- Please note we have very limited space to send students through the Exchange (pay tuition to UBC) pathway at UPF
- Most students will go to UPF on a Study Abroad basis, paying tuition to UPF (fees are outlined on their website). Commerce students may not select the study abroad option.
See more info on the Exchange vs. Study Abroad pathways on the Tuition, Fees and Awards tab of this webpage.
Tips for applying on the Go Global application system (Gateway):
- Exchange (pay full courseload tuition to UBC):
- Commerce (UBCV BCOM) students apply to the Universitat Pompeu Fabra-Commerce-STUDY experience on the Gateway online application.
- All other students: apply to the Universitat Pompeu Fabra-UniWide-STUDY experience on the online application
- Study Abroad (pay fees directly to UPF)
- Applicants should select "Universitat Pompeu Fabra-Study Abroad-STUDY" on the online application
- This option is not available to UBCV Commerce students
Choosing exchange or study abroad does not impact the courses you can take at UPF.
Term Dates
- Term 1/Fall: Mid September to Mid December
- Term 2/Winter: Early January to Late March
- Term 2/Spring: April to July
Students matched to Term 2 at UPF may choose to stay for just the Winter or Winter & Spring. We assume that Term 2 students will study at UPF for the "Winter & Spring", but please let your UBC Go Global advisor know if you would like to take only the "Winter" option. This must be arranged no later than the September before you depart.
See the UPF Calendar here: https://www.upf.edu/web/studyabroad/calendar.
Credits
Summer programs
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
UPF uses a qualitative and a quantitative grading scale. The qualitative grading scale is: suspenso, aprobado, notable, sobresaliente and matrícula de honor. The quantitative grading scale goes from 0 (the lowest grade) to 10 (the highest grade). The minimum grade to pass is 5 (aprobado). The correspondence between the qualitative and the quantitative grades is as follows:
Suspenso: from 0 to 4.9
Aprobado: from 5 to 6.9
Notable: from 7 to 8.9
Sobresaliente: from 9 to 10
Matrícula de honor: from 9 to 10 (5% of the enrolled students)
No presentado: the exam has not been taken
Passing grade
5 (aprobado)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
Course information and restrictions
- Students with a fluent level of Spanish can take regular courses offered by the university
- For more information about accessing regular courses taught in Spanish or Catalan, click here
- Please note the ECTS credit load for regular Spanish courses courses is different than the ECTS credit load for the HESP program
- Courses in Communication, Audiovisual Communication, Journalism and Economics are also offered to Exchange students at this institution
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.
Exchange Tuition
- Students studying at UPF on Exchange pay tuition to UBC (limited spaces)
- Students studying at UPF on Study Abroad pay tuition directly to UPF (most students attend through this arrangement)
- Link to UPF Fees
- Students considering the Study Abroad option should talk to their Enrolment Services Advisor about the impact of this on their UBC scholarships and student loans since tuition will not be paid to UBC.
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We currently don't have a way for students on Study Abroad for Term 1 or Full Year to be automatically enrolled in the AMS/GSS Extended Health and Dental (including travel medical insurance), as Study Abroad students are not assessed UBC tuition and AMS fees. This policy is subject to change.
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.
Additional Fees
- Important information about health and travel insurance for fee paying (study abroad) students
- Students participating in a Study Abroad (fee paying) experience with Go Global for Full Year or Term 1 will not be assessed any student fees, and thus will not be eligible or automatically charged for the AMS/GSS Health and Dental Plan
- Therefore students will be required to seek independent insurance
- Students starting in Term 2 or participating in summer opportunities are covered by the Plan if they paid for it in September and have not opted out as it runs for a full year (Sept 1 – Aug 31)
Types of accommodation available
Housing notes
- It is extremely rare that an exchange student is eligible for university housing
- Priority is given to full year students
- Students who have gone to Barcelona in the past have mentioned that Craigslist is usually full of scams and have mentioned to avoid this website when looking for private housing