Have you ever noticed students wearing sashes of different colors during graduation season or at university ceremonies? When I first arrived in Spain, I was curious too. After chatting with some local friends, I learned that these colors are incredibly significant—they represent different fields of knowledge and university traditions! It’s a really cool detail of Spanish academic culture.
This tradition of using colors to distinguish academic disciplines is said to date back to the Middle Ages, when scholars from different fields wore robes of specific colors to identify themselves. For instance, red represents Law, as red symbolized power and justice in the ecclesiastical tradition; yellow is for Medicine, believed to honor Hippocrates who was associated with gold in ancient healing practices; and sky blue was assigned to Humanities and Philosophy, symbolizing wisdom and the heavens.
A Glimpse at Major Universities and Their Academic Colors
While there are traditional colors, each university often has its own unique shades or variations. I’ve taken the time to compile a list of the colors of Spanish university sashes for some famous universities and their main fields of study. You can check this Spanish university color guide to see if your school and major are on the list! 😎
| University | Field of Study | Representative Color | Color (Spanish) |
|---|
| Complutense University of Madrid | Law | Red | Rojo |
| Complutense University of Madrid | Medicine | Yellow | Amarillo |
| University of Barcelona | Economics and Business | Green | Verde |
| University of Barcelona | Pharmacy | Purple | Morado |
| Autonomous University of Madrid | Sciences | Cobalt Blue | Azul Cobalto |
| Pompeu Fabra University | Humanities and Social Sciences | Sky Blue | Azul Celeste |
| Polytechnic University of Madrid | Architecture | Orange | Naranja |
This list is by no means exhaustive, and there can be subtle differences in color between faculties within the same university. Feel free to add your own university’s colors in the comments below or share any interesting stories about them! . Let us know in the comments—what color represents your university and major?
