The University of Barcelona (UB) was founded in 1450. The university has four campuses, all in different parts of the city. The UB is the oldest and largest of the six universities in Barcelona. The international student population of the UB is approximately 1300 students. Today the UB is the largest university in Catalonia in terms of number of students and teaching staff, facilities, courses offered, and research. Three thousand faculty members and 1,600 other personnel staff the university.

UB students have access to an extensive range of services. The UB library is the second largest in Spain in regards to number of books. There are more than two million books and 38,000 journals available throughout the different schools and campuses. There are approximately 6,000 reading sites.

In the Catalan-speaking area there are two official languages: Catalan and Castillian (Spanish). Catalan is a Romance language that come forth at around the same time as other languages, such as French and Spanish. Although Catalan is the language of the UB, everyone at the UB can speak Spanish while others also speak French or English. In teaching, both Catalan and Castillian are used. Students with knowledge of any Romance language are able to follow classes in Catalan within a very short time.