Universidad Europea remains the best private university in Spain in the latest edition of the Shanghai Ranking and is among the 30 best sports faculties in the world. The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Sports has reaffirmed its position as the second best Spanish university in its field, in a ranking led by Deakin University (Australia), the University of Southern Denmark, the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, the University of Verona and the University of Copenhagen.
The Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments, published since 2016, evaluates academic and research performance in Sport and Health Sciences based on objective indicators of scientific output and international collaboration. The 2025 edition analysed 564 universities, compared to 460 the previous year, in a context of growing competitiveness in which Spain's presence among the top 300 has also grown, from 16 institutions in 2021 to 22 in 2025. In this scenario, and based on objective indicators of scientific output and international collaboration, Universidad Europea de Madrid has managed to climb from the 101–150 range in 2021 to the Top 30 worldwide in 2024 and 2025.
This result reinforces a trajectory in which Universidad Europea has made a firm commitment to sport and health as strategic axes, combining academic excellence, high-impact research and transfer to professional practice. This commitment is also reflected in the highest rating from the international QS Stars system, with five stars both at the institutional level and for the Bachelor's Degree in Physiotherapy.
The recognition of Universidad Europea among the best in the world in this prestigious ranking ‘confirms that our academic model is solid and consistent, and that our firm commitment to quality research is yielding tangible results,’ says Dr Simone Sato, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Sports. ‘It reflects the rigorous and sustained work of a faculty with a proven track record in research, with growing scientific output and publications in top-quartile journals, and with intense international collaboration that contributes significantly to the advancement of knowledge in the field of sports and health science.’
The Dean emphasises that this international positioning is possible thanks to a clear strategy of supporting research, knowledge transfer and internationalisation, integrated into an experiential training model: "Our students learn by doing, but always from a solid scientific basis and connected to international research networks. From the first year, they are trained in simulated environments, use cutting-edge technology and participate in applied research projects alongside research professors, in collaboration with universities and international centres, as well as clubs, federations, hospitals and companies in the sector. From the first year, they are trained in simulated environments, use cutting-edge technology and participate in applied research projects alongside research professors, in collaboration with international universities and centres, as well as clubs, federations, hospitals and companies in the sector. This combination of high-impact research, international collaboration, advanced practice and connection with the professional environment is what really makes the difference."