About
Comillas Pontifical University is a private Catholic university located in Madrid, Spain. More than 100 years old, Comillas specialises in business, law and social sciences, as well as engineering and divinity. A Jesuit institution, Comillas belongs to a network of more than 200 Jesuit universities in the world.
With 7 faculties and 36 departments, Comillas enrols around 15,000 students per year, including around 3,000 international students from 80 countries. Faculty staff at Comillas number around 1,500, and full time staff come from approximately 25 countries.
Comillas is well-known in Spain, ranked among the best higher education institutions domestically in most of the programmes it offers and features the Campus of International Excellence label for aggregation with Deusto and Ramon Llull universities, as well as the European ranking U-Multirank. ICADE (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration) also earned AACSB International Accreditation in 2023. Consult Comillas on QS World Rankings to learn more about their current world ranking and academic reputation in different subject areas.
Location
Comillas is located in the Madrid metropolitan area of Spain, one of the most important European cities in terms of political importance, business, social and cultural life. Students study at the faculty based on the bilateral agreement through which they go on exchange. Students from the School of Business and Management study at ICADE (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration), and students from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures within the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film and from the School of Politics and International Relations study at CIHS (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences).
ICADE (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration) students study on a central Comillas campus located in the centre of Madrid, close to multiple metro stations. It is easily accessible from all neighbourhoods across the city. It is also only 12km from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport.
CIHS (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) students study on the Cantoblanco campus, which is about 30 minutes by train from Madrid city centre. The university campus has its own commuter train station. The station is located on the C-4 line towards Alcobendas San Sebastián de los Reyes. More details are available on the Madrid public transport website.
Level of competitiveness
This exchange is only open to students in (3): the School of Business and Management; the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures with the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film; and the School of Politics and International Relations.
- School of Business and Management agreement (for ICADE): Competitive **
- Department of Modern Languages and Cultures (SLLF): contact academic school
- School of Politics and International Relations (for CIHS): Competitive **
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Language of Instruction
- English (instruction and examination), for the agreements with the School of Business and Management and the School of Politics and International Relations. Modules are also available in Spanish to fluent Spanish speakers, yet the online placement test before arrival would be required in order to have any access to modules taught and examined in Spanish. For students who do not have Spanish skills, Comillas recommends for them to do “Spanish for foreign students” (see under Courses).
- Spanish, for the agreement with the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures. These students should check with Comillas directly whether the online Spanish placement test before arrival is required.
Academic Calendar
Note: Orientation for international exchange students lasts several days and precedes the start of classes.
- Semester One: early September – December (exams in December)
- Semester Two: January – late April (exams in May)
Course registration generally opens in July for semester one/full-year courses, and in November for semester two courses. Exams take place at the end of each semester. For any student who fails a first semester, second semester or full year course, all resit opportunities for all modules are available in June to re-take the examination(s).
Important: students should wait for the final exam schedule to be available prior to make any travel arrangements for the end of either semester.
Courses
Students can only take courses within their home discipline (as outlined on their offer letter), as Comillas does not allow its students to cross departments or schools.
“Spanish for foreign students”: Spanish language courses are also available to all exchange students at all levels (A1-C1 on the CEFR) from the beginning of each semester, and are each equivalent to 50 hours, or 6 ECTS. To enrol, students will take an online placement test before arrival to determine their pre-existing level. This is also mandatory for any student who wishes to follow any modules in Spanish.
CIHS - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (CIHS), for School of Politics and International Relations students:
- Students can enrol in any course offered in English by the faculty, with courses in Spanish only open to Spanish speakers who take the online placement test before the start of the semester. Students may consult the following module listings in the CIHS offered for the 2023/24 academic year:
(Note: please only refer to these as a guide in future years, as modules are subject to change from one year to the next.)
- Semester 1 only modules
- Semester 2 only modules
- Full-year modules
ICADE - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, for School of Business and Management students:
- Most courses are characterised by lecture teaching, written course assignments and/or oral presentations, and most final examinations are written. Many of the courses require substantial preparatory reading. Class participation is part of a student’s final grade in most courses.
- Students can enrol in any course offered in English by the faculty, with courses in Spanish only open to Spanish speakers who take the online placement test before the start of the semester.
Students may consult the typical module listings offered by ICADE (yet if these are not for the academic year desired, please only refer to these as a guide).
Credits
Students must enrol on a full courseload: 30 ECTS per semester / 60 ECTS for the full academic year (equivalent to 60 Queen Mary credits per semester / 120 Queen mary credits for the full academic year).
Each module at Comillas varies between 3 and 7.5 ECTS, where students generally take 5-7 modules/subjects per semester.
Comillas uses a numerical grading system out of 10, in which grades increase by a tenth of a decimal place. The top mark, 10, is typically awarded to only the top 5% of students. Find out more about Queen Mary's credit transfer and grade conversion process.
Queen Mary student feedback
Instagram takeovers
Accommodation
Comillas does not offer any on-site university accommodation, so all students must rent privately. A number of organisations collaborate with Comillas to help students find accommodation, including Lodgerin, Aluni.net, Madrid Easy, MICAMPUS Living, Spotahome, Erasmusplay and Innfamily.
For CIHS students (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences): the Cantoblanco campus where CIHS students study is about 30 minutes by train from Madrid city centre, yet Comillas recommends for CIHS exchange students to live in Madrid city proper near a metro station or train station and to search for a private rental listing with the above external providers.
For ICADE students (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration): the campus is in Madrid city proper, so ICADE exchange students may search for a private rental listing in Madrid with the above external providers.
Important: Finding and securing private accommodation in Madrid during the summer months and at the start of the academic year can be competitive and challenging, as many students and young people look for private accommodation in Madrid during this time of year. Queen Mary students are advised to follow the partner’s guidance as soon as possible to begin their accommodation search safely. Guidance about searching for private accommodation safely is available on the QMplus resource page, “Pre-departure” tab from early spring.
Cost of living
You can find general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Madrid here.
Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
Support services
Health insurance: Students who are not covered by the Spanish Social Security National Health System and who do not have a European Health Insurance (EHIC) card, it is mandatory to take out comprehensive health insurance from the UK (or the student’s home country) that covers illness, hospitalisation, accidents, civil liability and repatriation for the duration of studying at Comillas.
Counselling is available to any students who require additional support academically or personally.
As a Jesuit university, Comillas also offers religious pastoral support, including regular faith groups, worship services and workshops.
Exchange students can sign up for a buddy programme before arriving at Comillas. The supporter student is usually a Comillas student, and they usually can get in touch before they arrive. International students can contact the tutor and the coordinator that are available to assist international students in any way they need. Students are also encouraged to interact with each other throughout the study abroad period and onwards.
As a current Queen Mary student you will be able to find a summary sheet for this partner university on our QMplus page, with an overview of the local student support services available on the following topics: specific learning differences, physical impairments, sensory impairments, long term medical conditions, autism spectrum conditions, mental health and wellbeing difficulties, special accommodation provision, non-emergency health care, emergency services, harassment and trauma and suicide prevention.
Student life
Comillas has set up a language exchange programme for any enrolled students who wish to improve their language abilities whilst on exchange. Students can signed up and be paired with students from other countries, so they can make friends and learn a language!
A large number of sports teams and activities are also available for students to partake in. Students can also participate in university societies, which include business networks, technology panels and the university magazine.
"UNITY" is a student volunteer organisation run by/for exchange students that organises various events for the interaction of local and international students at Comillas (more information on their Facebook and Instagram profiles).
See also entry about the buddy programme under Support Services.
