Complutense University of Madrid
Complutense University of Madrid
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Latin: Universitas Complutensis Matritensis
Motto:
"Libertas Perfundet Omnia Luce"
Established:
May 20, 1293 as Estudio de Escuelas
Generales de Alcalá; becomes
Universidad Complutense in 1499 by
Papal Bull
Type:
Public University
Endowment:
495.663.000 €
Rector:
Carlos Berzosa
Staff:
9,731
Undergraduates:
61,598
Postgraduates:
29,653
Location:
Madrid, Spain
Campus:
Urban, Ciudad Universitaria district and
Somosaguas district
Student
Associations:
99 Groups:
ALTAVOZ,
Asociación Internacional de Sociología
(AIS),[1]
Asociación para la Defensa e
Integración Universitaria (ADIU)
Estudiantes de Izquierdas,[2]
Rosa que te quiero Rosa (RQTR),[3]
Tuna[4]
Colors:
Nickname:
La Complu
Website:
www.ucm.es
The Complutense University of Madrid (Spanish: Univer-
sidad Complutense de Madrid, UCM) is among the oldest
universities in the world and is the top public university
in Spain. It is located on a sprawling campus that occu-
pies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of
Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in
the neighboring city of Pozuelo de Alarcón.
According to the annual university rankings conduc-
ted by El Mundo, the Complutense University ranks as
the top public university in Spain,[5] with its Schools of
Philosophy, Spanish Literature, History, Pharmacy, Op-
tometry, Journalism, Psychology, and Sociology holding
the top national rankings.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The
University is also a filial to the Spanish Royal Societies of
Physics and Mathematics.
Early History
The Complutense University’s origins lie in the Middle
Ages, when King Sancho IV of Castile created the Studi-
um Generale on May 20, 1293. In 1499, Pope Alexander VI
granted the request of one of its former pupils, Cardinal
Cisneros, to convert it into a full university; the Papal
Bull renamed the institution Universitas Complutensis,
after Complutum, which was the Latin name of Alcalá de
Henares, where the University was or