Universidad Complutense de Madrid

The **Complutense University of Madrid** (, **UCM**) is a large public university in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the oldest universities in the world still in operation. It was first set up in 1293 in the city of Alcalá de Henares and later moved to Madrid in 1836.
Today, it is the largest university in Spain, with more than 86,000 students.

The name "Complutense" comes from _Complutum_, the old Latin name of Alcalá de Henares, where the university was first built.

### Beginnings (1293)

In the spring of 1293, King Sancho IV of Castile gave permission to the Archbishop of Toledo, Gonzalo Pérez Gudiel, to create a school in Alcalá de Henares. This school was called the _Estudio de Escuelas Generales_ ("General School of Study"). At that time, such schools were known as a _studium generale_, which was the Latin term for a university-like institution of higher learning.

### Cardinal Cisneros and the University (1499)

One of the school's most important graduates was Cardinal Cisneros (Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros). He worked hard to turn the school into a full university. On 13 April 1499, Pope Alexander VI granted a papal bull (an important official church document) called _Inter cetera_, which officially made the school a full university. This meant that the degrees given by the university were recognized all across the Christian world at the time.

Cardinal Cisneros also purchased a large amount of land and ordered the construction of many new buildings. This made the Complutense one of the very first universities in history to have a campus built from the ground up specifically for a university.

### Move to Madrid (1836)

For several centuries, the university stayed in Alcalá de Henares. However, by the 19th century, people in the Spanish government felt that the main university of Spain should be in the capital city. On 29 October 1836, Queen Regent Maria Christina ordered the university to move to Madrid.
At first it was called the _Literary University_, and from 1851 it became known as the _Central University_ ().

### Important moments in the 20th century

- In 1909, the Central University became one of the first universities in the world to give a doctorate degree (the highest academic title) to a woman.
- On 28 February 1923, the university gave Albert Einstein an honorary Doctor of Science degree. This was the first such honorary degree that Einstein accepted from any European university.
- In 1943, the name was changed to _Universidad de Madrid_ ("University of Madrid").
- In 1970, the Spanish government reorganized higher education and the university received its current name: **Universidad Complutense de Madrid**.

## Location and campus

The university is in a large area of western Madrid called Ciudad Universitaria ("University City"). This campus covers a very large area and is its own district within Madrid. The university also has some buildings and departments in the nearby city of Pozuelo de Alarcón, in an area called Somosaguas.

The current campus was first planned in 1927, with the idea of bringing education, science, and culture together in one place.

## Size and structure

The Complutense University of Madrid is the **largest university in Spain** and one of the **largest non-distance universities in Europe** by number of students.

It has:
- About **86,000 students**
- More than **9,000 staff members** (teachers and other workers)
- **20 faculties** (divisions that teach different subjects)
- **6 university schools**
- **184 departments**
- More than **76 official degree programmes**
- More than **170 official master's programmes**

## Subjects taught

The university teaches a wide variety of subjects in four main areas:

- **Humanities** – History, Philosophy, Literature, Linguistics, Fine Arts
- **Social Sciences and Law** – Law, Economics, Politics, Sociology, Communication and Journalism
- **Health Sciences** – Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, Optometry
- **Mathematics and Natural Sciences** – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Geology, Computer Science

The university is especially well known for its programmes in law, medicine, journalism, fine arts, and social sciences.

## Rankings

The UCM is considered one of the top universities in Spain and in the world. Some of its rankings are:

- **QS World University Rankings**: ranked #164 in the world, #58 in Europe, and **#1 in Spain**
- **Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings**: around #501 in the world
- **Shanghai Ranking (ARWU)**: among the best 300 universities in the world, and in the top 3 in Spain
- **SCImago Institutions Rankings**: #175 in the world, and #3 in Spain

## Special achievements

- The Central University was the first and only institution in Spain authorised to grant doctorate degrees throughout the Spanish Empire, by Royal Decree of 1857.
- The university gave Albert Einstein his first honorary Doctor of Science degree from a European university in 1923.
- In 1909, it was among the first universities in the world to give a doctorate to a woman.
- The university has its own newspaper and radio station.
- It has over 100 student clubs and activity groups, and several sports teams.

## Notable alumni

Many famous people studied at the Complutense University of Madrid. These include:

- **José María Aznar** – former Prime Minister of Spain
- **María Teresa Fernández de la Vega** – former First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
- **Santiago Ramón y Cajal** – Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine (1906)
- **Severo Ochoa** – Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine (1959)
- **Federico García Lorca** – famous poet and playwright
- **José Ortega y Gasset** – famous philosopher

The university has produced graduates who have been part of every Spanish government since the Age of Enlightenment, as well as several Nobel Prize winners, heads of state, and leaders of major international organisations.

## Other information

The teaching language at UCM is mostly Spanish, though some programmes offer classes in English. The university also welcomes international students and has about 4,000 foreign students on campus.

The campus has a large sports area with six different locations for both indoor and outdoor sports, open to all students and staff.

## Other websites

- www.ucm.es – Official website of the Complutense University of Madrid
- www.ucm.es/english – UCM official English-language pages
- www.britannica.com – Complutense University of Madrid at Encyclopædia Britannica
- www.timeshighereducation.com – UCM profile at Times Higher Education
- www.topuniversities.com – UCM profile at QS Top Universities
- www.shanghairanking.com – UCM profile at Shanghai Ranking
- www.scimagoir.com – UCM profile at SCImago Institutions Rankings

## Infobox (university)

- **name**: Complutense University of Madrid
- **native name**: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
- **native name lang**: es
- **image**: Complutense University logo.svg
- **image size**: 200px
- **latin name**: Universitas Complutensis Matritensis
- **nickname**: UCM
- **motto lang**: la
- **mottoeng**: Freedom will flood everything with light
- **type**: Public university, Public research university
- **location**: Madrid, Spain
- **campus**: Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria
 Somosaguas, Pozuelo de Alarcón
- **students**: ~86,000
- **academic staff**: ~9,000