Higher education in Colombia

The higher education in Colombia is regulated by Law 30 of 1992, and additional details to the special law in Law 115 of 1994, which establish that Higher Education must be a service cultural public, inherent to the social purpose of the State.

It is taught in 318 higher education institutions, classified according to the National Higher Education Information System (SNIES) as: 38 Professional Technical Institutions (30 active, 8 inactive), 53 Technological Institutions (45 active, 8 inactive), 138 University Institutions or Technological Schools (134 active, 4 inactive) and 89 Universities, all active.

Higher Education Levels

Higher education is provided at two levels: undergraduate and graduate.

The formal undergraduate programs can be accessed by those who accredit the baccalaureate degree and the State Exam, which is the mandatory official test presented by those who graduate from secondary education and aspire to continue higher education studies.

The undergraduate level has, in turn, three levels of training:

• Professional Technical Level (relative to Professional Technical Programs).
• Technological level (relative to technological programs).
• Professional level (relative to university professional programs).

Postgraduate education comprises the following levels:

• Specializations (relative to programmes of professional technical expertise, technological specialization and professional specializations).
• Masters.
• Doctors.

Higher Education Institutions

There are 4 types of institution according to their academic nature, which is why they differ in their legal capacity to offer programs on the spectrum of undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Career technical institutions may offer career technical programs at the undergraduate level and career technical majors at the graduate level. Technology institutions may offer career technical and technology programs at the undergraduate level and career technical majors and technology majors at the graduate level. University institutions or schools of technology may offer professional, technological, and professional technical programs at the undergraduate level and professional technical specializations, technological specializations, and professional specializations at the graduate level. In some cases, university institutions or technological schools may also be authorized to offer master's and doctoral programs, as long as they meet quality criteria established by the Ministry of National Education. Universities can offer programs across the spectrum of undergraduate and graduate training.

Colombian Universities

Name	Legal nature	Main Headquarters
Universidad Nacional de Colombia	Public	Bogota, Medellín
Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Colombia	Public	Bogotá
Francisco José de Caldas District University	Public	Bogotá
Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca	Public	Bogotá
University of the Andes	Private	Bogotá
Universidad Sergio Arboleda	Private	Bogotá
Universidad Externado de Colombia	Private	Bogotá
Universidad del Rosario	Private	Bogotá
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana	Private	Bogotá
Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito	Private	Bogotá
University of San Buenaventura	Private	Bogotá
Universidad Santo Tomás	Private	Bogotá
University of Applied and Environmental Sciences	Private	Bogotá
Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano	Private	Bogotá
University of La Salle	Private	Bogotá
Pilot University of Colombia	Private	Bogotá
Universidad La Gran Colombia	Private	Bogotá
Central University	Private	Bogotá
Free University	Private	Bogota, Barranquilla, Cúcuta
Universidad Militar Nueva Granada	Public	Bogotá
EAN University	Private	Bogotá
University of Antioquia	Public	Medellín
EAFIT University	Private	Medellín
University of Medellín	Private	Medellín
CES University	Private	Medellín
Antioquia Engineering School	Private	Medellín
Bolivarian Pontifical University	Private	Medellín
Catholic University Luis Amigó	Private	Medellín
Catholic University of the East	Private	Rionegro
Universidad Santiago de Cali	Private	Cali
University of the Valley	Public	Cali
University Icesi	Private	Cali
Autonomous University of the West	Private	Cali
Universidad Industrial de Santander	Public	Bucaramanga
Autonomous University of Bucaramanga	Private	Bucaramanga
University of Santander	Private	Bucaramanga
University of the Atlantic	Public	Barranquilla
North University	Private	Barranquilla
University of the Costa	Private	Barranquilla
Universidad Simón Bolívar	Private	Barranquilla
University of Pamplona	Public	Pamplona
Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander	Public	Cúcuta
University of Magdalena	Public	Santa Marta
University of La Guajira	Public	Riohacha
Technological University of Bolivar	Private	Cartagena
University of Cartagena	Public	Cartagena
University of Sabana	Private	Chía
University of Caldas	Public	Manizales
University of Nariño	Public	Pasto
Pereira Technological University	Public	Pereira
University of Cauca	Public	Popayán
Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia	Public	Tunja
EIA University	Private	Envigado
Autonomous University of Manizales	Private	Manizales
University of America	Private	Bogotá
University El Bosque	Private	Bogotá
Manuela Beltrán University	Private	Bogotá
Catholic University of Colombia	Private	Bogotá
Universidad Surcolombiana	Public	Neiva
University of Llanos	Public	Villavicencio
University of Boyacá	Private	Tunja
Catholic University of Pereira	Private	Pereira
Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana	Private	Medellín
University of Ibagué	Private	Ibago
ECCI University	Private	Bogotá
University of Cundinamarca	Public	Fusagasugá
Universidad Autónoma de Colombia	Private	Bogotá
University of Manizales	Private	Manizales
University of Sucre	Public	Sincere
Admiral Cadet Naval School Padilla	Military	Cartagena
Catholic University of Manizales	Private	Manizales
University of Quindío	Public	Armenia
Universidad Incca de Colombia	Private	Bogotá
Mariana University	Private	Pasto
University of Research and Development	Private	Bucaramanga
Autonomous University of the Caribbean	Private	Barranquilla
Cooperative University of Colombia	Private	Medellín
University of Tolima	Public	Ibago
Universidad Antonio Nariño	Private	Bogotá
University of Sinú	Private	Monteria
Universidad Santiago de Cali	Private	Cali
University of Córdoba	Public	Monteria
Metropolitan University	Private	Barranquilla
Open National University and Distance	Public
Universidad Popular de Cesar	Public	Valledupar
University of the Amazon	Public	Florence
CESMAG University	Private	Pasto
International University of American Tropics	Public	Yopal
Pacific University	Public	Good luck.
Technological University of Chocó	Public	Quibdó
Instituto Universitario de Barranquilla	Public	Barranquilla, Soledad
Caribbean University Corporation	Private	Sincere

Postgraduate

Luis Echavarría Villegas Library, located on the campus of EAFIT University in Medellín, Colombia.

At the postgraduate level, specializations, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees are recognized. There is also a series of diplomas and other continuing education courses and education for work and human development, which in a few weeks or months allow the professional to learn new techniques or keep up-to-date.

Master's, specialization or postgraduate studies are focused on strengthening updating, management and deepening skills, aimed at guaranteeing the growth of the productive sector. It is usual that in the high positions of the organizations this type of titles is required according to the organizational profile.

Finally, there is the doctoral level, which few universities are accredited to offer, and which seeks to train researchers and create new knowledge. PhDs are generally outside the investment levels that companies can afford, and are used by schools to further the advancement of science.

Higher education in Colombia
Mario Laserna Building, Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá).	Plaza Francisco de Paula Santander, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá).	Plazoleta de la Universidad del Valle (Cali)	Faculty of Mines, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombian National University)Medellín)
Lead of the Universidad Externado de Colombia (Bogotá)	Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada (Bogotá).	Clinic of Optometry, University of La Salle (Bogotá).	Universidad Santo Tomás (Bogotá). Founded in 1580, it is the oldest in Colombia.
Central Headquarters of the University of Cartagena (Cartagena), known within the university as "Claustro de San Agustín"	Faculty of Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering, Universidad del Cauca (Popayán),	Universidad del Rosario (Bogotá), institution called by some "The cradle of the republic".	Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia (Medellín). It is the second most important university in Colombia and the oldest public university in the country (1803).
Faculty of Engineering, Francisco José de Caldas District University (Bogotá).	Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá).	Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá).	Central Library, Universidad Pontificia Bolivarian (Medellín).	Faculty of Economics, University of Pamplona (Pamplona).
Postgraduate Building, University of the North (Barranquilla).	Faculty of Fine Arts, Universidad del Atlántico (Barranquilla).	Faculty of Human Sciences, Universidad Industrial de Santander (Bucaramanga)	Engineering Building, EAFIT University (Medellin).	Faculty of Graphic Design, FESC University (Cúcuta).