President’s Welcome

Welcome to the University of Alcalá, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the longest standing European universities which dates back to May 20, 1293 marking the creation of the institution’s ‘‘General Study.’’ In 1499, Cardinal Cisneros expanded the institution’s studies with the creation of Higher College, which would later become the University of Alcalá, one of the first examples of a model university town.

The University of Alcalá is proud of its prestigious history and former alumni: its hallowed halls had been once shared among the likes of Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, Tirso de Molina, Fray Luis de León, Ignacio de Loyola, Juan de Mariana, Arias Montano, Ginés de Sepúlveda and Gaspar de Jovellanos, to name just a few. Only thirty kilometres from the centre of Madrid , the city of Alcalá de Henares is well-known as the birthplace of Cervantes, creator of the unforgettable Don Quixote.

Today the University of Alcalá is a modern institution which offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes adapted to the European Higher Education Area and covers all fields of knowledge, from humanities to engineering, and from social science to experimental and biomedical science. It is estimated around 28,000 students—approximately 19,000 undergraduates and more than 9,000 postgraduates—are currently pursuing their respective degrees at the University of Alcalá.

The activities of the University of Alcalá take place among its three different campuses: the humanities, architecture, the social sciences, law and economics are taught in the university’s 16th and 17th century premises in the historic heart of Alcalá; The External Science and Technology Campus specializes in courses in the areas of experimental science, health science and engineering; the Guadalajara Campus, another external university site, specializes in education, business administration, nursing, construction engineering and tourism. Among the university’s chief strengths are its teaching of the Spanish language and its research in the fields of biomedicine and bioengineering. It boasts five associated teaching hospitals, three multidisciplinary university institutes, one science and technology research park, as well as numerous other facilities devoted to experimental and biomedical research.

As well as possessing a rich architectural and artistic heritage, the legacy of more than five centuries of history, the University of Alcalá is also firmly committed to technological innovation, collaboration with the worlds of business and industry, as well as the internationalisation of its studies and research as proven by the more than 6,000 international students currently pursuing degrees at our university. This electronic portal is one of the main sources of information about our university. We hope you find it useful and count on you to help us improve it.

Fernando Galván
President

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Office of International Relations

Pza. San Diego, s/n - 28801 Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). Phone: +34 91 885 40 00
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