Q1. Is Medicine at UAB taught in English?
+A: No. Teaching mixes Catalan and Castilian; English fluency is recommended for materials but there is no English-medium track.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) was founded on 6th June 1968, and Medicine became one of the four faculties of the university since its establishment later in the same year. Right from the outset, Faculty of Medicine collaborated with Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, which continued functioning as a teaching hospital solely for the purpose of offering teaching programmes at the faculty. Over five decades later, the hospital remains an important educational partner for the medical faculty at UAB. This collaboration is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of the programme.
One of the distinct aspects of the programme is the decentralized model of clinical education. Throughout the first two years, all students take basic medical sciences courses at the Bellaterra campus via the Unitat Docent de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques. From the third year onwards, students get allocated to any of the four teaching units of the hospitals. The allocation is done through an internal allocation procedure instead of individual selection.
The clinical education takes place at Hospital de Sant Pau and Hospital Vall d'Hebron at Barcelona, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol at Badalona, or Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí at Sabadell. Students remain allocated to their respective teaching hospital during the entire clinical phase of the programme. Such a structure enables the faculty to offer clinical exposure through several major health care facilities. In other words, students can spend considerable time of their studies away from the central part of Barcelona.
UAB is one of the very few Spanish public medical schools to have obtained international accreditation according to the WFME standards. The Faculty of Medicine at UAB received accreditation from AQU Catalunya which will remain valid till April 2025. This is particularly useful for graduates seeking postgraduate medical training in the USA through ECFMG Pathway 1. Such accreditation of the programme is quite rare among Spanish public universities.
UAB also holds a good standing in international university rankings. According to the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject, the Medicine programme of UAB became ranked within the top 100 for Life Sciences and Medicine. This is one of the few Spanish medical faculties which managed to enter into the list. Together with the international accreditation, this helps in creating its academic reputation.
Language requirements at UAB are stricter than those of many other Spanish universities. Courses are taught in both Catalan and Spanish depending upon the course and lecturer. Furthermore, all students are required to use English language literature throughout the programme. Although there is no English medium pathway, the university encourages students to master all three languages before joining the university.
International applicants need to have adequate knowledge of Spanish language before enrolling in the programme. Knowledge of Catalan language is also helpful, especially during the period of clinical rotation and other university activities. English is helpful for accessing scientific literature and other academic sources rather than classroom education. Therefore, students need to prepare for multilingual learning rather than an English language medical programme.
Non-EU applicants need to follow the standard public university admission procedure of Spain. First of all, secondary school qualifications have to be recognized through the Spanish homologation procedure. Then they obtain admission credentials through UNED followed by participation in the centralized admission procedure of Catalonia (preinscripció). The competition for available places is always high.
Medicine at UAB achieves admission cut-off score of more than 12.4 out of 14 almost every year. Hence, Medicine at UAB is one of the most competitive medical programmes in Spain. As a result, applicants need to have excellent academic record along with adequate language preparation. The admission process is based on merit and not the capacity to pay the tuition fees. International applicants compete against other qualified applicants.
Tuition fee structure at UAB is determined by the regional government of Catalonia rather than by the university. Catalonia has a single tuition fee for all the degree programmes, including Medicine. Non-EU international students pay around €42.56 per credit in the current year, which translates into around €2,550 for a year of 60 credits. There is an additional fixed annual academic management fee of around €160.
In comparison to many other European medical schools, UAB is highly cost effective for such a highly ranked public university. The tuition fees are considerably lower than those charged by the private universities of Spain. Moreover, even public universities of some other Spanish regions charge higher tuition than UAB. Thus, UAB is one of the most attractive medical faculties due to international recognition and affordable tuition fees. Nevertheless, obtaining admission is the main challenge.
The Bellaterra campus is situated around thirty minutes away from the central Barcelona via train. Though students enjoy the advantage of studying in one of the best cities in Europe, the majority of the programme takes place outside the central city. The clinical rotations in Badalona and Sabadell add up to this geographical dispersion of training. As a result, students need to be ready for traveling to different teaching locations.
Overall, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona is one of the strongest public medical schools of Spain for outstanding students. Due to the international accreditation, top 100 ranking globally, collaboration with numerous hospitals, and lower tuition fees, UAB is quite an attractive destination. However, applicants need to be ready for multilingual environment, competitive admissions, and clinical training outside the central city of Barcelona.
