University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Founded in 1989, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) has over 22,000 students enrolled at its six campuses across the Canary Islands. It had its origins in a polytechnic university that opened 10 years earlier in 1979.

The university is particularly well regarded for its maritime research, gaining the certificate of excellence from the Spanish ministry for education in 2010.

In total, there are nearly 1,600 academic staff and over 100 research groups working at ULPGC.

There are 40 undergraduate degrees and 33 master’s degrees available to prospective students. The subjects covered are science, arts and humanities, health sciences, social and legal sciences, architecture and engineering.

The university offers language education in several European languages in its language centre. Chinese and Korean courses are available at the resident Confucius Institute and King Sejong Institute respectively.

Students at ULPGC can take advantage of the Canary Island’s stunning landscapes. There are an abundance of beaches to lie on, peaks to climb and subtropical forests to explore. The islands are renowned for their nightlife, including carnivals and the Canary Islands Music Festival.

The majority of the university is based in the capital of the islands Las Palmas, which was founded in 1476 and retains many of its buildings from the era of the Kingdom of Castile. This architectural style was taken to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the late 15th and early 16th century.

UGLPC has several science and technology parks, which it hopes will pass the benefits of its research onto the local community. They are also intended as an environment to foster the growth of new businesses.