It is important to consider university acceptance rates when preparing to apply for your university course.
Acceptance Rate in Spain is, on the whole, higher than in the US, meaning you have a great chance of being accepted on your chosen course in Spain!
Universities Acceptance Rate in Spain vs Acceptance Rate in the US
Some universities have high acceptance rates, meaning that they welcome most if not all students.
Other universities have low acceptance rates, meaning they are very selective about the students they admit.
Let’s take a look at the Acceptance Rate in Spain first and then we’ll see the Acceptance Rate in the US.
Comparison Acceptance Rate of Spain vs the US
Of its 76 universities, the top ranked universities in Spain in 2021 were Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Complutense Universidad de Madrid, and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Times Higher Education (THE) provide the most comprehensive and respected annual rankings of global universities.
The quality of education and prestige at all of these top ranking Spanish universities is excellent and they all also pride themselves on their high acceptance rates.
Top Ranking Spanish Universities
The university acceptance rate of four of Spain’s top ranking universities, Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Complutense Universidad de Madrid, and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid is around 75%.
Of the top five Spanish universities, only Universitat Pompeu Fabra could be classified as ‘selective’ with an acceptance rate of around 35%.
However, a comparison acceptance rate of the US vs Spain shows that all of the top-ranked Spanish universities are more ‘welcoming’ than the top-ranked US universities.
Securing a place on a university course in the US is significantly more competitive than in Spain.
Top Ranking US Universities
The top five ranking US universities are Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, and Yale University.
None of these universities offer an acceptance rate higher than 7%.
Stanford and Harvard have acceptance rates of around 4%.
There is obviously a big difference between a 75% acceptance rate for the top-ranked Spanish universities and an acceptance rate of 4-7% for the top-ranked US universities.
The university acceptance rate in Spain is a major draw to international students.
MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Caltech, and Yale, and many many other US universities offer wonderful education, but the chances of being accepted at one of these universities are considerably lower than at Spanish universities, which also offer superb university education possibilities.
