World rankings 2026
Best medical schools in Spain
29 universities in Spain ranked on the medicine research they published from 2021 to 2025. Universitat de Barcelona leads the country and ranks 36th in the world.
Can graduates of medical schools in Spain train in the US?
The country has a WFME-recognized accreditor. Graduates of schools it accredits meet ECFMG's accreditation requirement for US residency.
- National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA): recognized until 2032 October
- Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (AQU): recognized until 2031 October
A school must itself be accredited by that agency. Every country's status.
Universities in Spain
| # | University | In country | Articles 2021–25 | Cited 50+ times | International | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona | 1 | 21,765 | 5.5% | 52% | 80 |
| 38 | Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaCerdanyola del Vallès | 2 | 17,372 | 6.4% | 50% | 80 |
| 102 | Universidad Complutense de MadridMadrid | 3 | 18,724 | 4.0% | 38% | 72 |
| 115 | Universidad Autónoma de MadridMadrid | 4 | 16,970 | 3.9% | 38% | 71 |
| 267 | Universidad de NavarraPamplona | 5 | 2,721 | 6.5% | 58% | 59 |
| 304 | Universitat de ValènciaValencia | 6 | 5,479 | 3.7% | 39% | 57 |
| 318 | Universidad de SevillaSeville | 7 | 3,947 | 4.6% | 43% | 56 |
| 320 | Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelona | 8 | 2,706 | 5.3% | 60% | 56 |
| 332 | Universidad de SalamancaSalamanca | 9 | 4,212 | 4.2% | 39% | 55 |
| 335 | University of the Basque CountryLeioa | 10 | 4,424 | 3.7% | 44% | 55 |
| 791 | Universidad de ZaragozaZaragoza | 11 | 2,713 | 0.1% | 41% | 25 |
| 820 | Universidad de GranadaGranada | 12 | 3,927 | 0.0% | 50% | 21 |
| 846 | Universitat de Miguel Hernández d'ElxElche | 13 | 2,672 | 0.1% | 3% | 19 |
| 869 | Universidad de MurciaMurcia | 14 | 2,568 | 0.0% | 43% | 17 |
| 874 | Navarre Institute of Health ResearchPamplona | 15 | 2,053 | 0.0% | 54% | 17 |
| 876 | University of AlicanteAlicante | 16 | 2,160 | 0.1% | 0% | 17 |
| 884 | Universidad de AlcaláAlcalá de Henares | 17 | 2,737 | 0.0% | 34% | 17 |
| 887 | Universidade de Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de Compostela | 18 | 2,230 | 0.0% | 44% | 16 |
| 891 | University of CórdobaCórdoba | 19 | 2,079 | 0.0% | 46% | 16 |
| 893 | Universidad Europea de MadridMadrid | 20 | 2,312 | 0.0% | 40% | 16 |
| 1056 | Universidad de CantabriaSantander | 21 | 2,225 | 0.0% | 0% | 11 |
| 1057 | University of Castilla-La ManchaCiudad Real | 22 | 1,954 | 0.0% | 7% | 11 |
| 1065 | Universidad de MálagaMálaga | 23 | 2,190 | 0.0% | 0% | 11 |
| 1075 | Universidad Rey Juan CarlosMadrid | 24 | 2,084 | 0.0% | 1% | 11 |
| 1089 | Universidad de ExtremaduraBadajoz | 25 | 1,527 | 0.0% | 17% | 11 |
| 1150 | Universidad de OviedoOviedo | 26 | 1,731 | 0.0% | 0% | 9 |
| 1163 | Universidad de ValladolidValladolid | 27 | 1,691 | 0.0% | 0% | 9 |
| 1232 | Universitat Rovira i VirgiliTarragona | 28 | 1,476 | 0.0% | 0% | 8 |
| 1305 | Universitat de LleidaLleida | 29 | 1,275 | 0.0% | 0% | 7 |
# = world rank of 1,712. Medicine articles 2021–2025 in OpenAlex.
Questions
What is the best medical school in Spain?
Universitat de Barcelona ranks first in Spain on medical research output, citations and international collaboration from 2021 to 2025, followed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Can graduates of medical schools in Spain do residency in the US?
Yes, if the school is accredited by National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA), which the World Federation for Medical Education recognizes. ECFMG certification also requires passing the USMLE exams.
Sources: OpenAlex (CC0), medicine-field articles published 2021–2025; World Federation for Medical Education, agencies with recognition status (October 2026). Methodology · Download the data (CSV)