LTSpice is pretty good free alternative for simulations, but it doesn't have tools that would make your life easier like a library manager. Also it doesn't scale as well as spectre, meaning large simulations may take longer. It's good for pretty much anything and is pretty accurate. You can follow this document (which is written by LT so it's a bit one sided but still explains a few mechanics of the simulator)
http://cds.linear.com/docs/en/lt-journal/LTJournal-V24N4-01-df-SPICEDifferentiation-MikeEngelhardt.pdf
But if your ultimate goal is fabrication then you'd need a good layout editor, but good ones are not available for free. And more importantly layout will be given to the fab, so it also depends on the requirements of the fab. For example some fabs may provide you with everything for calibre but not anything else (good fabs usually provide everything, but especially if you're getting this service through a third party [multi project wafer companies] they may not provide all the rulesets for all the tools). So you may not be able to choose which tools you're going to use.
In short, LTSpice is awesome for simulation, but there's a lot more to consider if you want to fabricate. And to be honest if you're in a university just ask around if you have access to Cadence tools. It's a complete suite so it'd cover everything you need, and Cadence distributes its software liberally to universities.