The University of Navarra is a prestigious private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei, as a corporate work of the apostolate of Opus Dei. The University of Navarra is among the best private universities in Spain. The University of Navarra was third in the "European Teaching Rankings of 2019" following the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge by Times Higher Education's International Rankings. Moreover, the university is ranked #1 in the "CYD Ranking" list of Spanish universities in 2026. It holds a particularly respected position in the fields of business, economics, medicine, and healthcare.
Through its six campuses (Pamplona - Iruña, Donostia - San Sebastian, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich and New York City), the university confers 35 official degrees, 13 dual degrees and more than 38 master's programs in 14 faculties, 2 university schools, 17 institutes, its graduate business school, IESE ("Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa"; in English: "International Graduate School of Management" or "Institute of Higher Business Studies"), Instituto Superior de Secretariado y Administracion (ISSA) (in English: Superior Institute of Secretarial and Administrative Studies), and other centers and institutions.
The university also runs a teaching hospital, CUN, where 2,045 qualified professionals handle more than 100,000 patients each year, and a medical center research, CIMA, that focuses on four main areas: Oncology, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular Sciences, and Gene Therapy and Hepatology. CIMA has been accredited as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence in 2026.
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History
The institution was founded as the Estudio General de Navarra on 17 October 1952, with the encouragement of Josemaría Escrivá. It began as a School of Law with 48 students and eight professors, under the direction of Ismael Sánchez Bella. The founder described the ideals he wanted to transmit in the university:
We want learned men to be formed here, with a Christian understanding of life; we want this environment, suitable for quiet reflection, to cultivate science rooted in its most solid principles, so that this light might shine over all the roads of knowledgeAfter the foundation of the Faculty of Philosophy in 1955 and the Business School, IESE, in 1958, the Estudio General de Navarra was established as a university by The Holy See on 6 August 1960, and Escrivá was designated as the Great Chancellor. The university received an official accreditation from the Spanish State, on 8 September 1962.
Students
In 2023, the university has a total of 12,054 students (1,758 international); 9,207 of whom are pursuing a bachelor's degree, 2,807 of whom are master's degree students, and 1,011 PhD students.
In addition, it has agreements with other universities, including the University of Washington (USA), the University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) and the University of Edinburgh (UK).
Campus
Most of the facilities and centers are located in Pamplona, with the exception of IESE Business School, which is based in Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, New York and Sao Paulo; the School of Engineering, Tecnun, based in Donostia-San Sebastián, and the ISEM Fashion Business School which is located in Madrid.
In January 2015, the Museum of the University of Navarra was inaugurated by King Felipe VI and houses a collection donated to the university by María Josefa Huarte Beaumont. This collection, regarded as one of the greatest collections of contemporary art in Spain, includes works by Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky, among other artists. The architect in charge of the project was Rafael Moneo.
Research
The university faculties and schools have thousands of researchers in different areas. The 8 centers and 17 institutes, located in the five campuses, carry out their research in the fields of Science and the Humanities, as well as the University Clinic of Navarra, the Center for Applied Medical Research and the Institute of Society and Culture.
Notable alumni
Alessandra de Osma, wife of Prince Christian of Hanover
Arancha González, former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs
Pedro Morenés, former Spanish Minister of Defense and former ambassador of Spain to the United States
Álex Pina, Spanish director and producer
María Elósegui, Spanish judge at the European Court of Human Rights
Pedro Sánchez, current Prime Minister of Spain
Daniel Hadad, Argentine businessman
Marek Kamiński, Polish polar explorer
Iñaki Peralta, CEO of Sanitas and Bupa Europe and Latin America.
Paola Binetti, Italian politician, psychologist and academic.
Juan Antonio Samaranch, 1st Marquess of Saramanch, President of the International of Olympic Committee.
António Pires de Limas, Exminister of the Economy of Portugal.
José Horacio Gómez, Archbishop of Los Angeles.
Celine Tendobi, Congolese doctor of obstetrics and gynecology.
Nerea Irigoyen, virologist