Abat Oliba CEU University

• Year of foundation: 1973
• Location: Barcelona, Spain
• Students age: 18+
• Number of students: 2000
• Language of instruction: Spanish, English
• Type of study: private university.

A non-state higher education institution, a member of the Spanish university group CEU, which also includes the Madrid and Valencian campuses. The university offers humanitarian programs related to the study of jurisprudence and political science, economic and business studies, education, psychological sciences, as well as media and mass communications.

It was founded in 1973 with the support of Fundación San Pablo-CEU in the capital of Spanish Catalonia. In practice, the first intake of students was carried out in 1974 after the signing of a cooperation agreement with the University of Barcelona. Since 1995 – Abat Oliba Higher Education Center (bachelor's degree in law, business administration and economics). In 2003, the Catalan parliament recognized Abat Oliba as a full-fledged independent university, part of the CEU group.

UAO CEU organizationally includes three faculties:

• Law and business;
• Communications, educational and humanitarian research;
• Psychology.

They offer bachelor's, master's + postgraduate training programs in a number of areas:

• Law and Political Science;
• Education;
• Business and Economic Sciences;
• Humanities;
• Psychology;
• Medicine.

Since 2017, the University has opened a Chair of Peace, Solidarity and Transcultural Dialogue under the auspices of UNESCO. Next, the departments of family business, economic solidarity, bioethical research and jurisprudence were opened. In 2020, with the support of institutions under the Council of Europe, the Department of Tax Integration, the Antonio de Monsterrat Center for World Studies and the Labor Monitoring Center, the Institute of Medical Sciences, were opened.

One of the universities in Spain that uses blockchain technology as a means of verifying university certificates and theses to prevent plagiarism.

The campus is located in Barcelona: it is a modern and active metropolis, the industrial, financial and economic center of the Mediterranean, perfect for student life. De facto, this city is trilingual: there are almost equal speakers of Catalan and Spanish, at least a quarter of the townspeople speak English. It is considered one of the best places to start a business: the city has the highest concentration of new startups, demonstrating a steady increase in activity and attracted funds.

The campus is located in the upper part of the city in a complex of buildings commissioned by the patron of the arts Francesco Ballart by the modernist architect Bernardo Martorell. It opened in 1995.

The university does not provide a dormitory, but helps with the search for apartments or youth hostels in the area of transport accessibility of the campus. Along with booking services, the university signed a cooperation agreement with the Barcelona Center Universitari (BCU) - the largest real estate booking center. This service offers dozens of accommodation options – from rooms in a shared apartment or guest families to dormitories or upscale apartments.

Students of the university lead an active extracurricular life. Within the walls of the university there is a student theater, a choir, discussion clubs, a model UN, a debate platform. We have our own sports teams, a national football team.

Considerable attention is paid to the development and improvement of management skills: students can try themselves in a business club, where platforms for the exchange of experience and a business incubator are organized.

Along with the activities of teaching students and conducting research, mass cultural and information events are organized within the walls of the university. Some of them have long gone beyond the scope of the internal event of the university and are significant events of the city, regional or state scale.

• the annual GoliADs UAO CEU award in the field of advertising and communications;
• Digital Communications Week;
• Conference on Law and Society;
• European Conference of Christian Psychology and Anthropological Sciences.

• The level of employment of graduates a year after graduation – 95.3% (2020);
• 130 agreements with universities in more than 30 countries of the world;
• 13 bilingual and double degrees;
• 84% of teachers participate in research projects, of which 54% are in international ones;
• More than 4000 internship agreements with Spanish, European and international companies;
• According to the resource EduRank UAO CEU ranks 71st among universities in Spain and 6th place in the list of the best universities in the province of Catalonia;
• According to the portal UniRank is on the 65th place in the world ranking of universities (2020);
• The Times Higher Education 2021 ranking gives the CEU university group the 6th place among universities in Spain, including in the TOP-500.

Students have access to all the necessary materials and means for training. There is a computer center for 300 computers of various systems, free wireless Internet access is provided throughout the campus.

In addition, the following are available:

• 26 auditoriums and 3 assembly halls;
• Professional radio room, dubbing and recording studio;
• Concert Hall;
• Research laboratory.

The university library has 13,000 volumes, 120 sets of periodicals and continuing publications, access to 7 full-text databases is organized.

Students can play sports on the sports grounds located on campus, in the gym. There are table tennis tables and a volleyball court.

Students can use the round-the-clock free psychological support service.

• Submission of an online application using the form on the university's website;
• Entrance exams in the specialty in the form of a test (online or at the university);
• Confirmation of sufficient level (B2 minimum) for relevant programs in English and Spanish;
• Passing the interview;
• Enrollment or refusal (sent in electronic form).

92% of graduates are employed within a year after graduation, of which 74% do it with the support of the university administration (within the framework of cooperation agreements and internships).

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision