Compass Afar
Your guide to studying abroad in Madrid.
Madrid, figured out.
Routes to campus, safe housing, your budget and an emergency card — in one app built for students abroad.
Open the app See what’s inside
Free · Built by a UCEAP student at UC3M
Tap the compass, then tilt your phone
Features
Eight tools. One app.
Your door to your campus
Save your address and pick your campus. The app plans the trip by Metro and Cercanías from the official timetables.
- Every line, change and walk, step by step
- Routes to events and everyday essentials too
- A walkthrough for the Metro and Cercanías ticket machines
Check a flat before you pay
Three tools for the flat hunt. They give you signals and plain-English explanations, so you can decide with your eyes open.
- Scam Check: paste a listing or a landlord’s messages and see the red flags
- Lease Explainer: your rental contract in plain English
- Compare my room: your rent against prices for the area
Know what’s left
Set an amount and split it across the things you actually spend on. The app keeps count, so the end of the month isn’t a surprise.
- Plan by week, month or semester
- Four categories: rent, travel, entertainment, essentials
- Costs you add to your calendar count against it
What’s on in Madrid
Events around the city, with the route there from your door.
- Real Madrid and Atlético fixtures
- A “For you” filter built from your interests
- Add an event to your calendar in one tap
Find your campus
A map of your campus with your route to it on the same screen.
- UC3M, UCM, UAM, IE and Comillas
- UC3M’s four campuses: Getafe, Leganés, Colmenarejo, Puerta de Toledo
- Change campus whenever you need to
A card for bad days
112, your embassy in Madrid, your emergency contact and the nearest 24-hour hospital, on one screen.
- Tap to call 112
- Works offline once it’s set up
- Medical details are optional, and encrypted on your phone
Ask anything about Madrid
A built-in chat for the questions you’d otherwise search for an hour.
- Transport, housing and daily life
- Knows the ticket-machine steps
- Needs a free account, with a daily message limit
Your campus, and everyone abroad
Two feeds: one for your school, one for every student in the app.
- Topics: food, nightlife, culture, sports
- Add friends you meet there
- Report anything that’s off
The phone screens here are illustrations. The app is new: some housing listings and events are examples while real sources come online, and they are always labelled as examples.
How it works
Set up in three steps.
Pick your university
UC3M, UCM, UAM, IE or Comillas.
Add your address
It’s what your routes are planned from.
Get routes, housing tools and your budget
Everything is built around your campus and your home.