Universities in Valencia: Public, Private and International Options

Valencia is a genuine university city. Between its public research universities, a cluster of private and Catholic universities, and a growing base of English-taught Master's programs, there is a real option here whatever your background or budget.

This guide breaks down the public, private and international-facing options, where their campuses actually are relative to the neighborhoods this site already covers, and what to know about the residency side of enrolling as a foreign student.

Public universities

The Universitat de Valencia (UV) is one of Spain's oldest universities, founded in 1499, and by far the largest in the city. It runs three main campuses: Blasco Ibanez (health sciences and humanities, near the city center), Burjassot-Paterna (sciences), and Tarongers (law, economics and social sciences, in the Benimaclet-Algiros area). Most Bachelor's degrees teach in Spanish or Valencian, but a growing number of Master's and doctoral programs teach partly or fully in English.

The Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) is the city's engineering and technical university, best known internationally for its architecture, computer science, industrial engineering and fine arts programs. Its main Camino de Vera campus sits on the north side of the city, a short ride from the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciencies rather than right beside it, and it consistently ranks among Spain's top technical universities. Like UV, UPV teaches most Bachelor's degrees in Spanish, with more English-taught options at Master's level, including several double-degree programs with partner universities abroad.

Private and Catholic universities

The Universidad Catolica de Valencia San Vicente Martir (UCV) is one of the largest private universities in the city, well known for health sciences, particularly medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and dentistry, alongside education and psychology degrees.

CEU Cardenal Herrera (CEU-UCH), with a campus in Moncada just outside the city, is a private Catholic university with a strong reputation in veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and business, and English-taught options in several of its programs.

Universidad Europea de Valencia focuses on business, design, health sciences and communication, with smaller class sizes and a practical, industry-connected teaching style typical of the wider Universidad Europea network.

Florida Universitaria, based in Catarroja just south of the city, is a well-established private university center with degrees in business, education, health sciences and ICT, generally at a lower cost than the other private options.

For anyone who needs full flexibility, Universidad Internacional de Valencia (VIU) is a fully online private university headquartered in the city, offering Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral programs entirely at a distance, an option worth knowing about if you are relocating and do not want your studies tied to a single campus.

English-taught programs and international options

Do not expect a wide menu of English-taught Bachelor's degrees at the public universities. Most undergraduate teaching happens in Spanish or Valencian, and international undergraduates typically need a B2-level Spanish certificate or equivalent for admission. Where English genuinely opens doors is at Master's and doctoral level, where UV, UPV and several of the private universities run programs taught partly or fully in English, particularly in business, engineering and health sciences.

Erasmus Plus exchange places are common across UV and UPV for students already enrolled at a partner university abroad, and both universities run dedicated international offices and orientation sessions to help incoming exchange and degree-seeking students settle in.

How to choose

If you want a well-known name, a large student community and the lowest tuition, UV or UPV are the default choice, provided your Spanish is strong enough for a Bachelor's degree or you are targeting an English-taught Master's. If you are drawn to health sciences, particularly medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine, the private and Catholic universities (UCV, CEU-UCH) generally offer more direct admission routes and smaller cohorts than the public system, at a real cost difference in tuition. If flexibility matters more than campus life, VIU's fully online model is worth a serious look.

Where the campuses actually are

UV's Blasco Ibanez campus and UPV's main Camino de Vera campus both sit on the north side of the city, close to each other and within easy reach of Benimaclet and Algiros, which is why those two neighborhoods have such a large student population and a steady supply of shared apartments. UV's Tarongers campus (law, economics) is a short walk from the same area. CEU Cardenal Herrera's Moncada campus and Florida Universitaria's Catarroja campus both sit outside the city center, connected by metro or bus, which tends to mean cheaper rent but a longer commute.

The residency side of studying in Valencia

Non-EU students staying more than 90 days need a student visa before arrival, and will need to handle the NIE and, depending on nationality and length of stay, the TIE card once in Spain. Universities generally provide a formal admission or enrollment letter that supports the visa application, and international offices can usually point new students toward the right paperwork, but the actual visa appointment and residency steps go through the same channels as any other move to Spain.

Whichever route you take, Valencia's combination of long-established public universities, a real range of private options and a genuinely lower cost of living than Madrid or Barcelona makes it one of the more practical Spanish cities to study in.