Study in La Coruña, Spain

About La Coruña

A Coruña (La Coruña in Spanish) is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Galicia, in north-west Spain, and the capital of the province of the same name. It had 251,543 registered residents on 1 January 2025, according to Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE), which makes it the largest city in the province. The city stands on a peninsula with beaches in the centre, a long seafront promenade and the Tower of Hercules, a Roman lighthouse that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009.

Students choose A Coruña for its public university, for a mid-sized city where most things are within reach, and for the chance to live in Galicia, which has its own language, Galician, alongside Spanish. The climate is mild but wet, and the cost of daily life, especially transport, is low compared with Spain's largest cities.

Studying in A Coruña

This directory lists three active schools in A Coruña: two university-level institutions and the university's international and language programmes. The Universidade da Coruña (UDC) is a public university founded in 1989, with campuses in A Coruña and in Ferrol. It offers more than 100 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees adapted to the ECTS credit system, and publishes a list of courses taught in English for international students who are not yet confident in Spanish. Fees are moderate: a 60-credit year of the double degree in English and Spanish, for example, costs about €591 for students resident in Spain or the EU and €738.60 for others, according to the university.

For language learning, the UDC Language Centre (Centro de Linguas), at the Faculty of Philology on the Zapateira campus, teaches Spanish as a foreign language in four-month courses, including in the first semester of 2026-27, both for exchange students and for people who come for shorter stays. It also offers German, French, English, Italian and Portuguese and is a centre for the DELE, IELTS and Aptis exams. The university's Linguistic Standardization Service runs a Galician summer course for foreigners.

CESUGA (Centro de Estudios Superiores Universitarios de Galicia) is a private university centre that began in January 1995 through an agreement with University College Dublin. Since March 2014 it has been attached to the private Universidad San Jorge in Zaragoza, with the approval of the Galician government, so its degrees are official degrees of that university. It teaches bachelor's degrees in Business Administration (ADE), Architecture, Advertising and Public Relations, and Translation and Intercultural Communication, some combined with the centre's own master's programmes. Part of the teaching is in English and work placements are compulsory. Students with foreign school qualifications need a recognised (homologado) bachillerato or a UNED credential, and a place is reserved with a €500 deposit that is deducted from the enrolment fee.

Cost of living for students

We have not found an official source for typical student rents in A Coruña, so we do not quote a figure. For A Coruña, the UDC lists the public Elvira Bao hall of residence and two other residences, Rialta and Siglo XXI; it is worth applying early and comparing them with shared flats.

City buses are very cheap with a travel card. The Compañía de Tranvías de La Coruña charges €1.30 for a single cash fare, but only €0.45 per trip with the general Bono Bus on the Coruña Millennium card, €0.38 for young people aged 15 to 30 and €0.15 with the university profile. Transfers within 45 minutes are free with a Bono Bus card.

Getting around and daily life

The centre, the old town and the seafront are easy to explore on foot, and the city bus network links them with the university campuses at Elviña and A Zapateira. A Coruña Airport is connected to the city by Alsa line 4051/A4, which runs from Hospital Abente y Lago through the centre, according to Aena. By rail, Renfe runs trains from Madrid Chamartín Clara Campoamor to A Coruña, with the first departure at 09:30.

The climate is oceanic: mild all year but rainy. At the AEMET A Coruña station (normals for 1981-2010), the average temperature is 10.8 °C in January and 19.0 °C in July, when average daily highs are only 22.1 °C. Annual rainfall averages 1,014 mm, with the wettest months from October to January, so a good raincoat is more useful than summer clothes.

Frequently asked questions

Can I study in English at the Universidade da Coruña?

Partly. The UDC publishes a list of courses taught in English for international students, but most degrees are taught in Spanish or Galician, so check the language of each course before you apply.

Where can I learn Spanish in A Coruña?

The UDC Language Centre teaches Spanish as a foreign language in four-month courses for exchange students and shorter-stay learners, and is a DELE exam centre.

How much does public transport cost for students in A Coruña?

A single cash fare costs €1.30, but with a Coruña Millennium card a trip costs €0.45, €0.38 for people aged 15 to 30 and €0.15 with the university profile, and transfers within 45 minutes are free.

What is the weather like in A Coruña?

Mild and wet. AEMET normals give an average of 10.8 °C in January and 19.0 °C in July, with about 1,014 mm of rain a year.