English-Taught Bachelor's and Master's Programs in Spain for Canadian Students

Two different tracks into an English-taught degree

You have two real paths to an English-taught degree in Spain: a private university that runs its entire academic offering in English, or a public university that runs a small number of English-taught tracks alongside its main Spanish-taught catalog. The two paths differ sharply in cost, program breadth and admissions competitiveness.

Private universities

IE University, based in Madrid and Segovia, teaches its full catalog in English across bachelor's and master's levels, spanning business, law, architecture, international relations and the humanities. IE University's published fee schedule lists bachelor's tuition for the 2026-2027 academic year at 13,250 euros per semester for most programs, about 26,500 euros a year, and 14,500 euros per semester for the Bachelor in Business Administration, about 29,000 euros a year. Fees increase annually for students who start in 2026-2027, at a fixed rate the university sets in advance, so budget for the full multi-year cost rather than just the entry-year figure.

Other private institutions, including ESADE and IE's business-school peers, run similarly English-heavy catalogs, particularly at the master's and MBA level. Confirm current tuition directly on each university's official fee page before applying, since private tuition moves year to year and varies by program.

Public universities

A smaller group of public universities, including Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona and a handful of others, run specific English-taught bachelor's and master's tracks inside an otherwise Spanish-taught institution. These tracks concentrate in business administration, economics, data science, engineering and international studies, with law and medicine rarely offered in English at the public level.

Public universities charge non-EU students, including Canadians, a higher per-credit rate than they charge EU or Spanish students, set annually by each autonomous region rather than by the federal government. Carlos III's non-EU pricing page is the reference point for that university's current per-credit rate. Because a bachelor's degree runs on roughly 240 ECTS credits spread over four years, the per-credit rate compounds into a total cost still far below most private-university tuition, even at the non-EU rate.

What you need to apply

• Proof of English proficiency, usually IELTS 6.5-7.0 or TOEFL iBT 88-100, though exact thresholds vary by program.

• Your Canadian high school transcript for bachelor's admission, or your undergraduate transcript and degree certificate for a master's.

• A completed application through the specific university's own portal, since Spain has no single centralized application system for international bachelor's admission the way some countries do.

• For public universities, confirmation your Canadian credential meets Spain's general university-entrance equivalency standard, checked separately from language and academic requirements.

Choosing between them

If cost is your main constraint, a public university's English-taught track costs a fraction of a private bachelor's degree, but the program list is narrow and competition for the limited English-taught seats can be tight. If you want the widest choice of English-taught majors and are prepared for private-university tuition, IE University and its peers offer more breadth, along with a more built-out international student support structure. Either way, confirm the current tuition figure on the university's own site before you commit, since both public per-credit rates and private tuition schedules change from one intake to the next.