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Law Schools and Programs in Barcelona, Spain

About Law Schools and Programs in Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is one of the main places in Spain to study law. Public, private and online universities in the city teach the official bachelor's degree in Law (grado en Derecho), and several also offer the master's degree that leads to practice as a lawyer.

How the law degree is organised

Under Royal Decree 822/2021, Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 credits. The law degree takes four years. A search for law degrees in the ministry's Registry of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) returns 90 entries across Spain; the RUCT is the place to check that a degree is official.

The degree alone does not qualify you to practise. Law 34/2006 requires a specialised training course, taught as an official master's degree in which half of the content is work placements, followed by a professional aptitude exam. The exam is called jointly by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Universities, and the professional title allows registration with a bar association (Colegio de Abogados) or a court procurators' association.

Where to study Law in Barcelona

Examples of universities in our directory with an official law degree listed in the RUCT:

  • Universitat de Barcelona and Universitat Pompeu Fabra: public universities with the bachelor's degree in Law and the Máster Universitario en Abogacía y Procura (lawyer and court procurator master's)
  • Universitat Ramon Llull: its Esade Law School (Facultad de Derecho Esade) teaches a law degree in Spanish and English, listed in the RUCT as Derecho / Bachelor in Law, and double degrees that combine Law with Business Administration (BBA) or with Global Governance, Economics and Legal Order
  • Universitat Abat Oliba CEU: a private university that, according to its website, has trained lawyers since 1973. Its degree has 240 ECTS credits and 100 places, with three tracks: business law, political and administrative science, and court practice. The first year costs €11,355 in the 2026-27 academic year
  • Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC): a fully online law degree of 240 ECTS credits, taught in Spanish and Catalan in separate classrooms, with fees regulated by the Catalan government (Generalitat); the university states that it costs less than €900 per semester
  • Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC): a private university with an official law degree

At Catalan universities, many classes are taught in Catalan, so check the language of each subject in the study plan.

Admission for international students

Students who finished secondary school outside Spain usually apply for UNEDasiss accreditation. UNEDasiss is the UNED service that assesses the academic records of international students and runs the tests needed to enter Spanish bachelor's degrees. With it, students apply to each university within its own deadlines. Private universities add their own process: at Abat Oliba CEU, applicants are assessed on their academic record and admission tests.

Recognition and careers

Royal Decree 889/2022 sets three procedures for foreign qualifications: homologación, which gives access to a regulated profession in Spain; the declaration of equivalence, which certifies the academic level (bachelor's or master's); and convalidación, which allows a student to continue university studies. Law studied in Spain is mainly Spanish and European law, so graduates who plan to practise in their home country need to follow its recognition procedure.

Graduates work in law firms, company legal departments, public administration and international organisations. Becoming a lawyer requires the master's and the aptitude exam; careers as a judge, prosecutor or state lawyer require passing competitive exams (oposiciones).

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to study Law in Barcelona?

The bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits and takes four years. To practise as a lawyer you then need the Máster Universitario en Abogacía y Procura and the national aptitude exam.

Can I study Law in Barcelona in English?

Most teaching is in Spanish or Catalan. Esade Law School at the Universitat Ramon Llull teaches its law degree in Spanish and English.

Can I study a Spanish law degree online?

Yes. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, based in Barcelona, teaches an official 240-credit law degree fully online, in Spanish or Catalan.