Study in Alcobendas, Spain

About Alcobendas

Alcobendas is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, on the northern edge of the Madrid metropolitan area. It had 123,342 registered residents on 1 January 2025, according to the official municipal population figures of Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE). Its territory includes La Moraleja, a residential area where several of the international schools in our directory are located.

Alcobendas is not a classic university town. Most people who look for schools here are families who move to the Madrid area for work and want an international or bilingual school for their children. For adult students, the main option in our directory is postgraduate study in sports management. Madrid's universities, language schools and city life are close by.

Studying in Alcobendas

Our directory lists 7 active schools in Alcobendas: 6 international and private schools for children and teenagers and 1 provider of online and blended postgraduate courses. Teaching languages vary from school to school: English, Spanish, Swedish and German are all used as languages of instruction, so families should check the curriculum and language of each school before applying.

Examples of the international schools:

• International College Spain (ICS), founded in 1980 and on its current site in La Moraleja since 1983, teaches the International Baccalaureate in English from age 3 to 18 and has approximately 1,000 students from more than 70 countries, according to the school
• the Colegio Internacional Sueco (International Swedish School), formerly the Colegio Internacional Escandinavo, was founded in 1944 and has about 400 students aged 18 months to 18 years; its Scandinavian section teaches in Swedish and its international section follows the Cambridge programme in English
• Colegio Suizo de Madrid by SIS, founded in 1970, offers Spanish-English and Spanish-German bilingual pathways and is a candidate school for the IB Diploma Programme; it belongs to the SIS Group, a network of 20 schools in Switzerland, Germany, Brazil, Italy and Spain
• Brewster Madrid, the Madrid school of Brewster Academy (founded in 1820 in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire), opened its La Moraleja campus in September 2025; all classes are taught in English, with required Spanish classes
• Liceo Europeo American School, the American high school programme of the Liceo Europeo school in La Moraleja
• LMI College, a small secondary school with classes of at most 5 students, which describes itself as an alternative, inclusive environment for students who have not done well in a conventional school

For adults, the Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid, a partnership between Real Madrid C. F. and the private Universidad Europea founded in 2006, trains professionals for the sports industry. It offers online and blended master's degrees, on-campus master's degrees and postgraduate diplomas, and the school states that 80% of its students are international, from more than 100 countries.

Cost of living for students

We have not found an official source for typical rents in Alcobendas, so we do not quote a figure. International schools are private and set their own tuition fees; Colegio Suizo de Madrid by SIS, for example, states that it is financed solely from school fees. Ask each school for its current fees before you plan a move.

Public transport is cheap for young people. The Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM) sells the Abono Joven, a personal 30-day pass for unlimited travel in all fare zones of the region (zones A to E2), for anyone from age 15 until their 26th birthday. It costs €10. The CRTM confirmed that the 50% discount on the Abono Joven continues in 2026; for adults aged 26 to 64, monthly passes cost €32.70 for zone A and €38.20 for zone B1. Children up to 14 travel free.

Getting around and daily life

Alcobendas is close to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, the main international airport of the region. Interurban bus lines 827 (Madrid-Aeropuerto T4-Alcobendas-Univ. Autónoma-Tres Cantos) and 828 (Madrid-Aeropuerto T4-Alcobendas-Universidad Autónoma) connect Terminal 4 with Alcobendas, according to Aena. A single ticket for zones A-B1 costs €2, and you need a Multi card (€2.50) to load single and 10-trip tickets. Several schools also run their own buses: International College Spain has a dedicated bus service from residential areas across Madrid, and Colegio Suizo de Madrid by SIS has five school bus routes covering different parts of the city.

The climate is continental. At the nearby AEMET Madrid Airport station (normals for 1981-2010), the average temperature is 5.5 °C in January, with average night-time lows of 0.2 °C, and 25.2 °C in July, when average daily highs reach 33.5 °C. Annual rainfall averages 371 mm, so winters are cool and dry and summers are hot.

Frequently asked questions

Which international schools are in Alcobendas?

Our directory lists six international and private schools in Alcobendas, including International College Spain (IB in English), the Colegio Internacional Sueco (Swedish and Cambridge sections), Colegio Suizo de Madrid by SIS (Spanish-English and Spanish-German), Brewster Madrid and Liceo Europeo American School (American curricula).

Can adults study in Alcobendas?

Yes. The Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid, created in 2006 by Real Madrid C. F. and the Universidad Europea, offers master's degrees and postgraduate diplomas for the sports industry, on campus, online and blended.

How much does public transport cost for young people?

The CRTM Abono Joven costs €10 for 30 days of unlimited travel in all zones of the Madrid region, for anyone aged 15 to 25. The price remains in force in 2026.

How do I get from Madrid-Barajas Airport to Alcobendas?

Interurban bus lines 827 and 828 run from Terminal 4 to Alcobendas, according to Aena. A single ticket for zones A-B1 costs €2.