The Princess of Asturias made those remarks in June, during the ceremony at the San Esteban Palace to present her with the Region of Murcia’s Gold Medal. It was one of her final engagements before leaving the General Air Academy (AGA) in San Javier, where she learned to fly. In that speech, she said she was looking forward “eagerly and with the intention of making further progress” to the university stage of her education, which now begins.
On Monday, the heir will exchange her uniforms for the classrooms of the UC3M’s Getafe Campus. The university had already extended “the warmest welcome” to Princess Leonor following the announcement by the Royal Household and expressed its satisfaction that the King and Queen’s eldest daughter had chosen to study at a “public” and “innovative” institution.
The Zarzuela Palace announced in April that the princess had “successfully completed the selection process” to study Political Science, a degree whose aim is to “train specialists and professionals prepared to understand and analyze politics in all its complexity, with rigor and depth,” according to the university.
The academic program that Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz will begin on Monday, September 7, lasts four years and includes subjects related to Political Science, the Humanities, Law, Economics, Sociology, History and International Relations.
Leonor herself, in agreement with the King and Queen, made the decision in early April about the degree and institution where she would continue her education. She is expected to supplement these studies with specific classes in subjects such as Constitutional Law, finance and economics, as her father also did.
She will study alongside the more than 24,600 students currently enrolled at the UC3M and will have to combine her classes with her institutional commitments as heir to the Crown. She will take exams at the same time as the rest of the students, without exceptions, while her institutional agenda will remain very limited so that she can focus on her education.
A STRONG ACADEMIC RECORD
Leonor completed her baccalaureate education abroad and did not take the university entrance exam (EBAU), so her application falls under the ‘early admission’ scheme, a UC3M early-admission procedure for international students through which around 300 students are admitted each year.
According to the university’s website, this route is open to students with “a strong academic record.” “A committee appointed by the Rector will decide on admission. The average grade in the academic record and the marks obtained in subjects considered related to the content of the degree applied for will be assessed.”
The princess met this requirement, as her record in the International Baccalaureate at UWC Atlantic College in Wales was “very good,” while her grades in the Army have also been “brilliant.”
CARLOS III CLASSROOMS
The UC3M says its students achieved the highest admission score among universities in Madrid in 79% of the degree programs it offers and ranks among the top five Spanish universities by the overall number of high-performance indicators, according to the 2025 CYD Ranking.
In the classroom, Leonor will study World Politics, Sociology, Law, and Political and Social History, among other subjects. According to the degree’s introductory video, the program is aimed at those who are interested in “understanding the political and social problems of our time and being part of the response.”
