Complutense University of 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.

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.
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.

## Subjects taught
The university teaches a wide variety of subjects in four main areas:
* **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.

## References
## 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