Sponsored by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)

Among the best-known universities in Spain, Madrid-based Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)is a world-class institution, ranked joint 280^th in the QS World University Rankings® 2016-2017 and 20^th in the QS Top 50 Under 50 2016-2017.

Alongside the university’s state-of-the-art facilities and research, UC3M students benefit from 4,800 agreements with leading enterprises providing access to internships and networking opportunities, plus high employability rates… and la vida dulce of the Spanish capital.

Madrid’s status as one of the best study destinations in Europe has been confirmed by the release of the QS Best Student Cities 2017 – a ranking of the world’s top 100 cities for students. If you’re still trying to decide where to go, you’ll find there’s plenty to enjoy about studying in the fantastic city of Madrid, as anyone currently studying at UC3M will tell you. If you are already studying abroad in Madrid, see how many of these 15 things you can tick off your bucket list. 

1. You relish your morning Mediterranean breakfast...

What better way to start the day than with a healthy breakfast at one of Madrid’s lovely café terraces?

2. You've spent weekends in Barcelona, Toledo, Granada and Valencia

Madrid’s only a couple of hours away from several other great Spanish cities and holiday destinations. If you’re studying abroad in Madrid, you’ve almost definitely spent vacations and weekends sampling some of the best attractions Spain has to offer, including Barcelona’s beaches and Gaudi creations, Toledo’s Moorish architecture, Valencia’s coastline or Granada’s astonishing Alhambra.

3. You've learned Spanish (or told your folks that you have)

“Hablo Español? Sí. Un poco.”

4. You are now an authority on art

Madrid’s the Spanish city for art aficionados. Bursting at the seams with museums, galleries, theater and dance performances, as well as world-famous institutions like the Prado and the Reina Sofia, Madrid is one of Europe’s most vibrant art destinations.

5. You know someone who can actually build a robot

Depending on which of the universities in Spain you’re enrolled in, you’re probably pretty used to innovation. Whether your field is engineering, humanities, business or communication, your professors are engaging in world-leading research and being published in leading journals. 

6. You expect free bar "tapas" with every drink

Most bars in Madrid serve Mediterranean snacks to nibble on with your beverage. Since Spanish bars are an around-the-clock affair serving up your morning café, evening digestive and everything in between, you’ve probably had plenty of time to enjoy your favorite hangouts and the delights of Spanish haute cuisine. It’s no surprise Spain has been touted as the world’s new foodie paradise!

7. You feel very strongly about Real Madrid

Whether you’re actually into football or – dare we say it – used to support FC Barcelona, you can’t study in Madrid for long without realizing that the madrileño team is not an optional extra…

8. Your sleeping and eating schedule is...Spanish

While most countries follow a nine to five schedule at work, Spain remains the country of siestas, 10pm dinners and 2-2.30pm lunches. While studying in Madrid, you learn to join in with the local rhythms.

9. You have friends from all corners of the world...

…thanks to the Erasmus Students Network which encompasses most universities in Spain and Europe, and also other international student associations at your university. If you’re a student at UC3M, you have probably been able to meet international students through their buddy program, which matches new recruits with exchange students to show them around the university and help them acclimatize. 

10. Studying here has given you a global network of contacts

Because it’s not just what you know that matters, but who you know, darling!

11. You're used to life in a 24-hour city...

12. And you know how much you'll miss street life in Madrid...

13. Especially during festival season!

Madrileños take festival season very seriously. The months between June and September see the streets of Madrid fill with food trucks, music, theater and color. Big summer festivals in the capital include Veranos de la Villa at the Sabatini Gardens, Mulafest, Gay Pride, San Lorenzo and many others. 

14. You'll be sad to leave...

15. But you know you'll be back

So many feels… 

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 is here. Featuring more subjects than ever before (46 to be precise), this year’s ranking is the largest of its kind. If you know what you’d like to study but haven’t decided on a university yet, you literally don’t need to go anywhere else.

Four new subjects make their debut in this year’s ranking: anatomy & physiology, hospitality & leisure management, sports-related subjects and theology, divinity & religious studies. As well as adding new subjects, many of this year’s ranking tables have also been expanded to include even more universities than ever before.

This year, the subject ranking also incorporates rankings for five different broad subject areas: arts & humanities, engineering & technology, life sciences & medicine, natural sciences and social sciences & management.

Published annually since 2011, the QS World University Rankings by Subject aims to highlight the world’s top-performing institutions in a broad spectrum of individual academic areas and help prospective students identify leading universities in their chosen field of study.

Leading the way in this year’s rankings are several familiar faces from the world of heavyweight academia. Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) both dominate with 15 and 12 number one rankings respectively across the 46 subjects. The only other university to top more than one subject ranking is the University of Oxford.

Four other UK universities are ranked best in the world in a specific subject, including Loughborough University which is ranked the joint-best university for sports-related subjects. The University of Sussex also enjoys best-in-the-world status, having overtaken Harvard University to be ranked number one for development studies.

It’s not all about coming first though, something the University of Cambridge proves this year. No other institution in the world ranks in the top 10 for as many subjects as the British university. Other universities to feature in the most top 10s are the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Oxford and Stanford University.

All of this year's results are presented in interactive online tables, which can be filtered by location and by performance indicator. To explore the results on your mobile device, download the free QS World University Rankings app, which is available for iPhone and Android. For more in-depth analysis, download our dedicated online supplement.

For the first time ever, the QS World University Rankings by Subject now includes a ranking of the world’s top 100 universities for sports-related subjects. In compiling this ranking, sports (or exercise) science, sports studies and kinesiology were all deemed eligible. Depending on the individual degree contents, sports psychology and sports management may also have been considered.

So, whether you’re interested in sports science or coaching the stars of tomorrow, these are the universities you should be considering.

Top sports-related universities in the US & Canada

Canada enjoys North American bragging rights when it comes to universities in the world top 10, with three institutions compared to USA’s two. The United States dominates the rest of the rankings though with 22 universities featured, 14 of which are in the top 50. Canada only has a dozen universities in this year’s ranking, with McMaster University (14^th) and McGill University (16^th) the highest-ranked outside the top 10.

Top sports-related universities in Europe

With 17 universities in the first-ever sports subject ranking, the UK is dominant in Europe. As well as top-ranked Loughborough University and Birmingham, the UK is also represented by University of Edinburgh (13^th), University of Bath (22^nd), University of Exeter (25^th), UCL (University College London) (29^th), University of Manchester (43^rd), University of Leeds (=49^th) and nine more universities ranked 51-100.

The Netherlands has the next-highest concentration of top sporting universities with four institutions in this year’s list. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (=26^th) and Erasmus University Rotterdam (=49^th) both make the top 50.

Spain are close behind the Netherlands in terms of representation with three universities (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona (UB)), although none of them make the top 50.

Belgium, Denmark and Portugal all have two universities in this year’s list, with the University of Copenhagen the highest-rated of those in 18^th place. Finland, Ireland and Norway all have one university flying the flag for their respective nation.

Top sports-related universities in Asia

Asian universities may lag behind their European counterparts when it comes to sports-related subjects, with only 13 institutions from the continent making the top 100. South Korea is impressively represented by three universities though, with Yonsei University in 39^th place the highest-ranked of those.

Japan also has three representatives on this year’s list, all of which are inside the top 50. They are Waseda University (19^th), University of Tsukuba (=26^th) and Kyoto University (33^rd).

Hong Kong and Singapore both have a pair of universities each in the sports-related subject ranking. The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) are ranked joint 11^th and joint 26^th respectively, while the National University of Singapore (NUS) is the highest-ranked Singapore university at 46^th.

China, Malaysia and Taiwan all have one university each on the list. Of these three universities, only one makes the top 50: the National Taiwan University (NTU) in 15^th place.

Top sports-related universities in Australia and New Zealand

Unsurprisingly for a country of rich sporting pedigree, 10% of the universities on this year’s list are Australian. As well as the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland (UQ) in the top 10, Australia also has the University of New South Wales (UNSW) (=23^rd), Deakin University (35^th) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) (=41^st) in the top 50.

Three new universities from New Zealand make the grade this year, with only one featuring in the top 50: seventh-placed University of Otago. Ranked 51-100 are the Auckland University of Technology and University of Auckland.

Top sports-related universities elsewhere in the world

Two other countries are featured in the inaugural sports-related subject ranking. Six Brazilian universities are featured, with two inside in the top 50. They are Universidade de São Paulo (USP) at joint 31^st and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais at 45^th.

The other country to be represented is South Africa, which has one university on the list. The University of Cape Town, ranked 51-100, is the sole African university in this year’s ranking.

This article is based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017. Click here to view the latest version of this article.

Released annually, the QS World University Rankings by Subject lists the top 200 universities for art and design across the globe, based upon their academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact.

Read on for an overview of the top art schools in each region of the world, or click here to view the full table.

Top universities for art and design in the US & Canada 

The US continues to dominate both the top 10 and the complete art school ranking. 42 of the top 200 art schools are American. Outside the top 10, strong positions are held by Yale University (12^th), Carnegie Mellon University (14^th), Art Center College of Design (16^th) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (18^th).

Canada is home to seven of the world’s top art schools, including the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, both of which are ranked in the 51-100 range.

Top universities for art and design in Europe

A total of 61 European institutions feature in the 2017 art school ranking, including 25 from the United Kingdom. As well as those universities in the top 10, the UK has five other entrants in the top 50, including the University of Oxford (11^th), Goldsmiths, University of London (15^th) and Glasgow School of Art (GSA) (19^th).

Elsewhere, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden each have one art school ranked in the world’s top 50 – Finland’s Aalto University (13^th), the Netherlands’ Design Academy Eindhoven (=31^st) and Sweden’s Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (47^th). Sweden’s other two universities in this list are in the top 100 overall, while the Netherlands’ other two are in the top 150.

Spain also performs well in the art school ranking with six representatives this year including Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and Universitat de Barcelona (UB) both in the 51-100 range. Meanwhile, Denmark has five entrants this year including two in the top 100, while Germany has three, all of which are ranked in the top 150.

Austria enters the art school ranking this year with two new entries, led by the University of Applied Arts Vienna at 51-100. Also new to the ranking with two entries is Portugal, with the University of Lisbon their highest-ranked with a place in the top 100.

France is home to two of the world’s top universities for art and design, with both École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle (ENSCI Les Ateliers) and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne ranked in the 101-150 range.

Finally, Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland each have one top art school each, with Belgium’s KU Leuven and Norway’s Oslo National Academy of the Arts the highest ranked at 101-150.

Top universities for art and design in Australia & New Zealand

Australia is home to 18 institutions featured in the 2017 art school ranking, eight of which are in the top 50. Its four highest ranked universities for art and design are: RMIT University (17^th), the University of Melbourne (28^th), University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) (=29^th) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) (33^rd).

Meanwhile nearby New Zealand is home to six of the world’s top art schools, half of which are ranked 51-100: Auckland University of Technology, Massey University and the University of Auckland.

Top universities for art and design in Asia

41 of the world’s top art schools are found in Asia, including seven in the top 50. China has a strong presence in the art school ranking, with nine institutions featured, including three in the top 50: Tsinghua University (25^th), Tongji University (26^th) and Peking University (37^th).

Next up is South Korea with seven representatives, including Seoul National University at joint 29^th and Sungkyunkwan University at 51-100.

Taiwan is home to six of the world’s top art schools, including National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, both ranked 51-100.

India lays claim to four more of the top universities for art and design, led by Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) at 51-100.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong has three entrants in the art school ranking, all of which are ranked in the top 100. The most notable of which is the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which is ranked 27^th. Singapore has two entries in the top 50 - National University of Singapore (NUS) (35^th) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) (40^th).

Four Asian nations enter the art school ranking this year, with Japan claiming the most entries (five). Elsewhere, Malaysia has three, and Thailand and Indonesia have one each. Of these four nations, the highest ranked art school is found in Indonesia, where you’ll find Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), ranked 51-100.

Top universities for art and design in Latin America and elsewhere

Heading to Latin America, and 24 of the world’s top art schools are located here in five countries. Mexico is home to the highest number (eight) – including the highest-ranked institution in the region - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) at 24^th.  Also in the top 50 from Mexico is the Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) at 46^th.

Brazil has seven entrants in the art school ranking, including Universidade de São Paulo (USP) at joint 42^nd and Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC – Rio in the top 100.

Elsewhere, Argentina’s two representatives are both featured in the global top 50 for art and design - Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) (=31^st) and Universidad de Palermo (39^th), both of which improve upon their position from last year. Chile has four entrants, led by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile at 38^th, while Colombia’s three representatives are all ranked 51-100.

Finally, back across the Atlantic, South Africa enters the art school ranking this year with one representative – the University of Cape Town, ranked 151-200. 

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Click here to discover the top medical schools in 2019.

Now featuring 500 institutions, the QS University Rankings by Subject showcases the most prestigious medical schools around the world, helping you to decide which one is for you out of the thousands available. (Read more about the methodology behind the ranking here).

Top universities for medicine in the US & Canada

The US dominates the medical school ranking with an impressive 89 universities featured in the global top 500, including 20 in the top 50. Harvard University maintains its position at the top of the table, joined by five other top US medical schools in the top 10. Also featured in the top 20 this year for medicine are Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, =12^th),  Columbia University (14^th), Duke University (17^th), the University of Pennsylvania (18^th) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) (20^th).

Neighboring Canada has 17 representatives in this year’s medical school ranking, including four in the top 50: the University of Toronto (11^th), McGill University (22^nd, up five places this year), the University of British Colombia (27^th) and McMaster University (35^th).

Top medical schools in Europe

The United Kingdom boasts the most entrants of any European countries in this year’s ranking, with 41 out of the 500 top universities for medicine based in the UK. After Oxford, Cambridge and UCL in the top 10, six more UK medical schools feature in the top 50, including Imperial College London (=12^th), King’s College London (16^th, up from 21^st) and the University of Edinburgh (23^rd).

Germany also offers a good selection of top medical schools, with 31 featured. Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg leads the way in joint 42^nd place. Italy is next with 26 top universities for medicine, including two featured in the top 100: Università degli Studi di Milano (University of Milan) and Università di Bologna (UNIBO).

France has 17 top medical schools in the ranking this year, including Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) in the top 100, while Spain has 13 representatives in the medical school ranking, with  Universitat de Barcelona the highest ranked at 51-100.

The Netherlands and Belgium each have eight schools featured – the Netherlands’ highest entrant is the University of Amsterdam at 36^th this year, while Belgium’s Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) are each ranked 51-100.

Heading to the Nordic countries, Sweden has seven entrants, including the well-known Karolinska Institute at sixth (up from 10^th last year), plus two more in the top 100. Finland and Denmark each have five representatives in the medical school ranking, while Norway has four. Of these, the highest ranked schools in these nations are: Finland’s University of Helsinki (51-100), Denmark’s University of Copenhagen (37^th) and Norway’s University of Oslo (101-150).

Elsewhere in Europe, Ireland can claim to host six leading medical schools, including National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) which is placed in the top 200. Also with six entrants is Switzerland, half of which are in the top 100. Portugal has five entries, with the University of Lisbon climbing from 301-400 to 251-300 this year.

Also home to some of the world’s most prestigious medical schools are Greece and Hungary with four representatives each, while the Czech Republic has three, including two new entrants.

Austria and Russia have two medical schools featured, with Austria’s Medizinische Universität Wien (Medical University of Vienna) ranked in the top 100. Finally, Estonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland and Croatia each have one representative in the medical school ranking.

Top universities for medicine in Asia

Asia is home to 104 of the 500 top medical schools featured this year, 31 of which are based in Japan while South Korea claims 21. Japan’s leading medical school is University of Tokyo at 26^th in the world, followed by Kyoto University and Osaka University at 51-100. Over in South Korea, Seoul National University is the country’s highest ranked at 40^th (up eight places from last year).

Also home to 21 of the world’s leading medical departments is China, with Peking University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University its two highest ranked at 51-100. Next is Taiwan with 10 medical schools featured, led by National Taiwan University (NTU) in 46^th place.

Universiti Malaya (UM) is the leader amongst Malaysia’s six ranked medical schools at 101-150, while Thailand’s Mahidol University (101-150) leads the way out of the country’s five entrants.

Hong Kong claims three top medical schools with the University of Hong Kong (34^th) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK, joint 47^th) both featured in the top 50.

India makes its first appearance in the medical school ranking this year with two entries, while Indonesia also has two representatives, with the University of Indonesia featured at 301-350.

Also home to one top medical school each are Singapore, Pakistan and the Philippines, with National University of Singapore (NUS) leading by far at joint 29^th.

Top medical schools in Latin America

Of the 34 top universities for medicine from the Latin American region, almost half (16) are found in Brazil. The country’s highest ranked medical school is the Universidade de São Paulo at 51-100.

Chile and Colombia have five top medical schools featured each, with Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile the highest ranked at 101-150. Mexico has three entrants, led by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) at 151-200, while Argentina has two, including the Universidad de Buenos Aires, which is also ranked 151-200 for medicine this year.

Venezuela and Uruguay are both new to the ranking with one entrant each, while Peru also features with one representative.

Top medical schools in Australia & New Zealand 

Australia has 20 representatives in the medical school ranking this year, including five in the top 50: the University of Sydney (15^th), the University of Melbourne (19^th), Monash University (joint 29^th), the University of Queensland (=42^nd) and the University of New South Wales (50^th).

In nearby New Zealand, two top universities for medicine are featured, both ranked 51-100: the University of Auckland and the University of Otago.

Top universities for medicine in Africa & the Middle East 

South Africa is home to five institutions ranked within the world’s top medical schools, led by the University of Cape Town at 101-150. In the North, Egypt is home to three of the world’s top universities for medicine, including Cairo University at 251-300. Elsewhere on the continent, Nigeria and Uganda both enter the medical school ranking with one entrant each, with Uganda’s Makerere University the highest ranked at 351-400.

And finally, 21 of the world’s top medical schools are found in the Middle Eastern region, with Iran home to the highest number (six), led by Tehran University of Medical Sciences at 251-300.

Israel claims five entrants, including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, both ranked in the top 200. Turkey has four top medical schools, including Hacettepe University at 251-300, while Saudi Arabia’s three entrants are led by King Saud University, again ranked in the 251-300 range.

Finally, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Jordan each claim one institution in the medical school ranking each, with Lebanon’s American University of Beirut (AUB) the highest ranked at 251-300.

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