AI visibility ranking of Spanish universities

Search has changed hands

For twenty years, getting informed meant searching on Google: you typed, ten blue links appeared and you chose. Today, more and more people don’t search, they ask — they talk to ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity the way you’d consult an expert — and the AI doesn’t return ten options: it returns one answer with three or four names.

For institutions it’s a seismic shift. On Google you could sit in eighth place and still get clicks; in an AI answer, if you’re not in that shortlist, you simply don’t exist for whoever is asking. Optimizing to show up there has a name: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), the successor to SEO. But before you optimize you have to measure: this analyzes 52 institutions across 4 AI models, and it’s updated every month.

AI Visibility Index

One number per university: the AI Visibility Index — how much the AI recommends it today. The columns on the right break that visibility down model by model, from a broad study across student topics — degrees, master's, MBA, online, bootcamps — with 60+ real queries to the models. Nobody reaches 100 — not even the leader, so you can see how much room there still is, and how steeply it drops right after the top.

#	University	AI Index	ChatGPT	Gemini	Claude	Perplexity
1	Universidad Europeapresencial	66	41	43	33	12
2	UNIRonline	57	42	22	28	31
3	Complutense de Madridpresencial	56	43	38	31	27
4	UNEDonline	36	26	13	15	16
5	Universitat de Barcelonapresencial	36	41	47	35	30
6	Universitat de Valènciapresencial	33	24	20	11	8
7	Universidad de Granadapresencial	29	18	19	14	10
8	Universidad Carlos IIIpresencial	26	27	32	25	33
9	UOConline	25	21	17	13	18
10	Politécnica de Madridpresencial	24	21	15	13	15
11	Universidad de Navarrapresencial	22	31	25	18	29
12	Universidad de Salamancapresencial	21	13	12	6	3
13	Universidad Autónoma de Madridpresencial	19	21	20	22	14
14	ESIC Business Schoolnegocio	18	14	19	8	17
15	Universitat Politècnica de Valènciapresencial	18	18	15	10	11
16	Universitat Autònoma de Barcelonapresencial	18	21	19	14	15
17	Universidad de Sevillapresencial	17	13	5	8	5
18	Universidad de Murciapresencial	14	8	2	5	2
19	Universidad de Zaragozapresencial	14	11	7	5	2
20	Universidad de Málagapresencial	14	13	19	5	7
21	ESADEnegocio	14	13	12	19	21
22	Universitat Pompeu Fabrapresencial	14	14	19	17	19
23	Universidad Francisco de Vitoriapresencial	13	7	6	2	2
24	VIU (Internacional de Valencia)online	12	10	14	8	11
25	Universidad Isabel Ionline	11	10	6	7	4
26	Universitat Politècnica de Catalunyapresencial	11	11	12	8	13
27	IE Universitynegocio	11	13	18	18	13
28	IEBSdigital	10	6	4	2	2
29	UDIMAonline	10	11	10	10	12
30	Universidad del País Vasco (EHU)presencial	9	7	2	2	2
31	Universidad de Valladolidpresencial	9	5	2	2	2
32	Universidad Alfonso Xpresencial	9	5	12	2	4
33	IESE Business Schoolnegocio	8	9	9	9	12
34	Universitat Ramon Llullpresencial	8	11	12	14	14
35	Universidad de Deustopresencial	7	4	19	7	7
36	MasterDdigital	6	3	2	2	2
37	ThePower Business Schooldigital	6	3	2	2	2
38	Universidad Camilo José Celapresencial	6	3	11	5	2
39	CEUpresencial	6	5	13	5	6
40	OBS Business Schoolnegocio	5	3	4	2	5
41	EAE Business Schoolnegocio	5	3	8	2	7
42	Universidad Nebrijapresencial	5	5	17	2	5
43	EADA Business Schoolnegocio	5	6	12	10	5
44	CEI Escueladigital	4	2	2	2	2
45	Neolanddigital	3	4	3	4	4
46	ISDIdigital	2	2	2	2	3
47	EOInegocio	2	2	2	2	8
48	Immune Technology Institutedigital	2	2	2	2	2
49	Ironhackdigital	2	3	4	2	4
50	Nuclio Digital Schooldigital	2	2	2	2	2
51	4Geeks Academydigital	2	4	4	2	2
52	DKS (antigua KSchool)digital	2	2	2	2	3

← swipe to see every model →

AI Index — how much it recommends you todaymore lava = more visible in that model

How to read it. The ranking rests on real AI-mention data (Spain); the per-model columns come from a study across student topics — 60+ queries sent to the models with web search. The Index blends both — see the methodology below.

Compare two universities

Pick two institutions and pit them against each other in detail, model by model.

Winner

Universidad EuropeaUNIRComplutense de MadridUNEDUniversitat de BarcelonaUniversitat de ValènciaUniversidad de GranadaUniversidad Carlos IIIUOCPolitécnica de MadridUniversidad de NavarraUniversidad de SalamancaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridESIC Business SchoolUniversitat Politècnica de ValènciaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaUniversidad de SevillaUniversidad de MurciaUniversidad de ZaragozaUniversidad de MálagaESADEUniversitat Pompeu FabraUniversidad Francisco de VitoriaVIU (Internacional de Valencia)Universidad Isabel IUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaIE UniversityIEBSUDIMAUniversidad del País Vasco (EHU)Universidad de ValladolidUniversidad Alfonso XIESE Business SchoolUniversitat Ramon LlullUniversidad de DeustoMasterDThePower Business SchoolUniversidad Camilo José CelaCEUOBS Business SchoolEAE Business SchoolUniversidad NebrijaEADA Business SchoolCEI EscuelaNeolandISDIEOIImmune Technology InstituteIronhackNuclio Digital School4Geeks AcademyDKS (antigua KSchool)

66AI Index

VS

Universidad EuropeaUNIRComplutense de MadridUNEDUniversitat de BarcelonaUniversitat de ValènciaUniversidad de GranadaUniversidad Carlos IIIUOCPolitécnica de MadridUniversidad de NavarraUniversidad de SalamancaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridESIC Business SchoolUniversitat Politècnica de ValènciaUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaUniversidad de SevillaUniversidad de MurciaUniversidad de ZaragozaUniversidad de MálagaESADEUniversitat Pompeu FabraUniversidad Francisco de VitoriaVIU (Internacional de Valencia)Universidad Isabel IUniversitat Politècnica de CatalunyaIE UniversityIEBSUDIMAUniversidad del País Vasco (EHU)Universidad de ValladolidUniversidad Alfonso XIESE Business SchoolUniversitat Ramon LlullUniversidad de DeustoMasterDThePower Business SchoolUniversidad Camilo José CelaCEUOBS Business SchoolEAE Business SchoolUniversidad NebrijaEADA Business SchoolCEI EscuelaNeolandISDIEOIImmune Technology InstituteIronhackNuclio Digital School4Geeks AcademyDKS (antigua KSchool)

57AI Index

41

ChatGPT

42

43

Gemini

22

33

Claude

28

12

Perplexity

31

Universidad Europea wins by 9 AI Index points.

Who leads each field

The first thing every institution wants to know: how it’s doing in its own field.

How the Index is calculated

The Index combines five weighted signals, all measured with real data on how the models respond. The result is an absolute number from 0 to 100 — not a ranking where first place scores 100 «just because».

Each AI recommends differently

There isn’t one AI: there are four, each with its own sources and biases. Being on top in Gemini doesn’t guarantee showing up in ChatGPT. Knowing which model your problem is in is what separates a headline from a useful diagnosis.

ChatGPT

Research-focused public and prestige private universities

Its favorites in the study: Universitat de Barcelona, Navarra and Carlos III.

Official websites · education portals

Gemini

Those that are strong on Google

Closely tied to classic SEO. Its top picks: UB, Universidad Europea, Complutense and Deusto.

Google's search index

Claude

Historic, prestigious institutions

More conservative; leans on track record. Its top picks: UB, Complutense and Carlos III.

Prestige sources and rankings

Perplexity

Those that appear in citable rankings

Rewards verifiable data. Its top picks: Carlos III, Navarra, UB and ESADE.

Cites explicit sources in the answer

How students search

Depending on what the student is looking for, the AI spreads names wider or concentrates them more — and what makes you win changes.

How the AI treats you

It’s not the same for the AI to mention you in passing as to recommend you, and each institution carries certain attributes in the model’s «mind». We show a selection of institutions.

Mention or recommend?

Out of every time the AI names it: how many times does it truly recommend it, and how many does it just mention it in passing?

RecommendsOnly mentions

UNED

73%27%

UOC

71%29%

Universidad Carlos III

64%36%

Universitat de Barcelona

62%38%

UNIR

35%65%

Universidad Europea

13%87%

Attributes the AI assigns it

The words the AI uses to describe each institution. Green = in favor · red = against.

UNIR

100% onlineeducational innovationpersonal tutorsfee-paying (private)

Universidad Europea

internationalhands-onemployabilityfee-paying (private)

Complutense de Madrid

historicacademic prestigebroad cataloghigh entry cutoff

Universidad de Navarra

prestigiousresearchinternationalhigh cost

IE University

international prestigeemployabilityinnovativeexpensive (~€26k/yr)

ESADE

international prestigeleadershipnetworkingexpensive

Where the AI gets its information

This is the most actionable GEO metric of all: which sources the AI cites when it talks about universities. It leans on education portals and comparison sites, media rankings (El Mundo, CYD) and the universities' own pages — that’s where you need to be, not just on your own website.

Tthe university's own websiteOfficial

21%

gradomania.comEducation portal

9%

mastermania.comMaster's portal

8%

uniscopio.comEducation portal

7%

dondeestudiar.euEducation portal

6%

fundacioncyd.org (CYD ranking)University ranking

4%

elmundo.esMedia

3%

elpais.comMedia

2%

lavanguardia.comMedia

2%

OOther sources (portals & media)Long tail

38%

% of the sector’s citations each source captures.

What people ask the AI

The sector’s highest-volume queries on Google (Spain). When the AI answers these, the question is whether you show up.

Gaps with no clear winner

“online master's in sustainability”“best university for a second degree”“cheap distance psychology degree”“recognized online higher vocational training”

Strong on Google, weak in AI

Autónoma de MadridU. de BarcelonaPolitécnica de MadridU. de València

How to improve your AI visibility

AI visibility responds to concrete signals. These are the ones that weigh most:

AI visibility will be decided over the next two academic years

Traditional search engines took years to lock in their winners; the AI is doing it in months, and positions are still moving. Whoever understands now how that visibility is won will hold an advantage that’s hard to claw back once the market matures. And we’ll say it again because it matters: the drop-off right after the leader is brutal. There’s room for everyone — and the first step is always the same, knowing where you stand.