The Foundation for Knowledge and Development (FCyD), under the auspices of Banco Santander and supported by Grupo PRISA, annually updates its proprietary rankings to identify premier locations for pursuing higher education. The 2025 edition emphasizes natural sciences, pure sciences, and engineering—collectively known as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines—renowned for their high employability rates.

FCyD's evaluation criteria for selecting top faculties include the quality of teaching, research output, international orientation, regional development contribution, and knowledge transfer capabilities. Historically, private universities have prioritized lucrative fields such as health sciences and social sciences, but the advent of Artificial Intelligence, data science, and emerging discoveries across environmental and technical domains have prompted these institutions to expand into high-demand STEM areas.

Notably absent from FCyD's list are Madrid and Valencia's polytechnic universities, both celebrated for their engineering programs recognized by employers domestically and internationally. Despite this, these institutions perform exceptionally well in global university rankings.

In the past, Spanish universities aspired to offer degrees in Medicine and Architecture, but the real estate crisis halted this expansion. Today, architecture graduates earn an average of €28,200 four years post-graduation, with an additional one or two-year master's required for full accreditation. The previous academic year saw a 20% increase in architecture enrollments compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Biology graduates, from institutions such as Pompeu Fabra, Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Salamanca, earn a base average of €26,000 after four years, marking it as the least remunerated degree in this analysis, though employability is rising. The Bologna Process has led to more specialized courses like Biochemistry, Genetics, Biomedicine, Biotechnology, and Environmental Sciences emerging around biology.

Public universities face challenges meeting demand for degrees experiencing a renaissance, such as those from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Valencia, and Autonomous University of Barcelona. Last year, 3,394 students enrolled in their first year, a significant increase from a decade ago. Seven private centers have begun offering these programs, albeit with limited student numbers. Despite high employability, the base salary of €29,300 after four years remains low.

Civil Engineering, offered by institutions such as Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Cantabria, and Catholic University San Antonio of Murcia, focuses on infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance. Graduates earn a base average salary of €33,000 four years post-degree.

Telecommunications, once the pinnacle of academic aspiration, has seen a decline in first-year enrollments, with only 3,900 students in the previous year, compared to 4,200 a decade ago. Electronics engineers from schools like Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Pontifical University of Comillas, and Carlos III earn an average of €37,500 four years post-graduation.

Industrial engineers, unique to Spain, are highly valued for optimizing processes across production, management, and resource administration. Graduates from institutions like Pontifical Comillas, Navarra, and Carlos III of Madrid earn a base salary of €38,200 four years post-graduation.

Informatics, essential for societal digitalization, is offered by universities such as Pompeu Fabra, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, and Carlos III, with graduates earning an average of €36,700 after four years. The field attracts 13,000 new students annually, a rise from 11,800 a decade ago.

Mechanical engineering, focused on industrial machinery design, sees graduates from institutions like Carlos III of Madrid, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, and Girona earning €33,300 on average four years after completion. First-year enrollments have increased to 5,539, recovering from previous lows.

Chemical engineering, relevant to industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and food production, is pursued at universities like Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Rovira i Virgili, and Autonomous University of Barcelona. Graduates earn €31,200 on average, with 2,400 new students enrolled last year.

Mathematics, experiencing a 28% growth in first-year enrollments over a decade, is in high demand due to guaranteed employment. Students from universities like Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Pompeu Fabra, and the Basque Country achieve a starting salary of €34,500 four years post-graduation.

Chemistry graduates from Rovira i Virgili, Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Alcalá, addressing global challenges like climate change and sustainable development, earn €27,200 on average four years after graduation. Enrollment remains steady at 3,722 students.

The electricity sector, transforming with renewable energy integration, offers graduates from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Navarra, and Oviedo roles in electrical systems and automation, with salaries of €33,900 for electrical engineers and €34,500 for energy specialists four years post-graduation.

Despite women being the majority in university classrooms, their presence in high-employment STEM fields like Computer Engineering (17.01%), Mechanical (18.36%), and Electrical/Energy (19.54%) remains below 20% for the 2022-2023 academic year.