Students applying to Catalan public universities this year face the toughest entry mark in Law and International Relations, not Medicine or Physics. The double degree at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), based in Cerdanyola del Vallès, has recorded a 2026 cut-off mark of 12.97, according to reporting by Helena López in El Periódico and figures cited by Ara.

That matters for sixth-formers and families now weighing applications after the PAU university entrance exams, because the cut-off mark is the score of the last student admitted to a course. In practice, it shows how competitive a degree was in this admission round, and gives applicants a benchmark when deciding where to apply.

Neither mathematics, nor physics, nor the much-desired medicine. The university degree with the highest cut-off grade in Catalonia for 2026 is the Law and International Relations degree at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

The 12.97 mark pushes the UAB Law and International Relations course above the Physics and Mathematics degree at the same university, which had held the top position in Catalonia for the previous three academic years, according to Ara.

What the new ranking means for applicants

For applicants, the headline figure does not mean a fixed pass mark set in advance. A cut-off mark changes each year depending on demand and the grades of those who apply. If a course fills with students who have very high scores, the last admitted student sets a higher threshold.

That makes the 12.97 figure significant well beyond one subject. It shows that competition for places on social science and humanities-linked degrees can now exceed some of the most selective science and health courses in Catalonia.

Last year, the same UAB double degree in Law and International Relations had a cut-off mark of 12.714, according to 2025 figures published by El Periódico. In the same 2025 list, UAB Medicine stood at 12.494 and Biomedical Sciences at UAB at 12.372. The rise to 12.97 this year shows a sharper squeeze for entry onto that law-based double degree.

  • 2026 highest cut-off mark in Catalonia: Law and International Relations at UAB, 12.97
  • 2025 cut-off mark for the same degree: 12.714
  • Location named for the course in the 2025 list: Cerdanyola del Vallès

Why students should treat cut-off marks as a guide, not a guarantee

Applicants checking results after the PAU exams should use the published cut-off marks to judge how realistic their choices are, especially for the most competitive courses at UAB, the Universitat de Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University and other public institutions in Catalonia.

If a student’s admissions score is close to, below or above 12.97, that does not by itself confirm whether they will get a place on this degree next year. The number reflects this year’s final admitted score, so it is best used as a planning tool when ranking preferences and considering alternative courses with lower recent thresholds.

Ara's explainer on how to calculate the 2026 cut-off grade was published after students sat the PAU exams, making it directly relevant for those now preparing applications. The key next step is to calculate your admission score carefully, compare it with the latest published cut-off marks, and order your course preferences accordingly when applying through the Catalan university admissions system.

Students interested in the UAB double degree should also check the official university information for entry and admissions requirements before submitting choices. The verified sources supplied here do not include the Catalan admissions portal link, so applicants should rely on the official university and admissions channels they were given during the PAU process.

The previous pattern had been dominated by science degrees. BARNA previously reported that the UAB double degree in Physics and Mathematics reached 13.370 in 2025 and had been the highest benchmark in recent years. This year, that run has ended, with Law and International Relations taking first place on 12.97.

Primary sources: catalog.uab.edu, catalog.uab.edu, catalog.uab.edu. Reported by Source Text Link, Helena López, russpain.com, H.L., barna.news, ACN, catalannews.com, Unihabit, Ola Funmilayo, Joan Colás, Natàlia Vila, Marta Sánchez Iranzo, Diari ARA.