Campus and city
UB is spread across four Barcelona campuses rather than one self-contained site. Its symbolic heart is the Edifici Històric, the Neo-Romanesque main building (Elies Rogent, 1863-1882) on Plaça Universitat in the city centre, housing law, philosophy and philology. Science and medicine sit at the Pedralbes and Bellvitge campuses, education and psychology at Mundet in the leafy Vall d'Hebron area. There is little university-provided housing, so students rent privately in an increasingly expensive Barcelona market or use the city's residencias. The compensation is the city: a Mediterranean climate, beaches, Gaudí architecture, world-class food, football and nightlife make Barcelona one of Europe's best student cities. Academic and student life runs predominantly in Catalan, with Spanish alongside it — immersive for those who embrace it, isolating for those who don't. The scale (~63,000 students) makes the experience that of a big public research university rather than an intimate community.