Colombia’s best universities according to a new ranking

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Wednesday, June 8, the firm QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) released the 2023 edition of the QS World University Rankings, one of the most prestigious listings worldwide.

The universities in Colombia continue to improve their positioning and increase their participation. In addition, it appears as the third most represented country.

Colombia went from having 19 universities to 25 on the list, and the QS firm affirmed that national institutions improved their reputation among academics. However, they continue to face difficulties in research and internationalization.

“It is important to recognize that Colombia has experienced solid economic growth since the turn of the century. This was reinforced by the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which ended the world’s longest civil war,” said Ben Sowter, vice president of the firm.

However, Sowter said Colombian higher education investment has been historically low. An issue that came to a head in 2018 with protests and an emergency budget supplement to combat a US$5.7 billion shortfall in university spending.

With presidential elections looming, it is critical – whatever the outcome – that the government prioritizes resourcing its universities.”

In this order of ideas, the best-positioned university in Colombia worldwide is Los Andes, occupying the 220th place, with the highest proportion of international professors and the best qualified by employers.

It is followed by Universidad Nacional, rising 16 places, occupying position 243. This university has the best reputation at the faculty level, reaching position 98.

In addition, the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana ranked third in Colombia, placing it in the top 500 worldwide. The Javeriana ranked 382nd.

At the world level, the University of Massachusetts Institute of Technology once again occupied the first place on the list, thus achieving a new record, occupying this position for eleven consecutive years.

The University of Cambridge rose to second place, while Stanford University remained third. Oxford and Harvard are in fourth and fifth position, respectively, in the ranking.

RANKING OF COLOMBIAN UNIVERSITIES GLOBALLY

1. Universidad de los Andes (220th in the world)
2. National University of Colombia (243rd)
3. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (382nd)
4. Pontificia Bolivariana University (601-650)
5. University of Antioquia (651-700)
6. Externado de Colombia University (651-700)
7. Icesi University (651-700)
8. Universidad de La Sabana (701-750)
9. Universidad del Rosario (751-800)
10. Universidad del Valle (801-1,000)
11. Universidad EAFIT (801-1,000)
12. University of Cordoba – Colombia (1,001-1,200)
13. Universidad del Norte (1,001-1,200)
14. Universidad Industrial de Santander – UIS (1,001-1,200)
15. Fundación Universidad De Bogotá-Jorge Tadeo Lozano (1,201-1,400)
16. Catholic University of Colombia (1,201-1,400)
17. University of Caldas (1,201-1,400)
18. Universidad de Cartagena (1,201-1,400)
19. La Salle University (1,201-1,400)
20. University of Medellin (1,201-1,400)
21. University of Santander – UDES (1,201-1,400)
22. University of Cauca (1,201-1,400)
23. University of Magdalena (1,201-1,400)
24. Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira (1,201-1,400)
25. Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar (1,401+)

COLOMBIA AT THE LATIN AMERICAN LEVEL

On the other hand, at the Latin American level, Colombia, together with Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, and Cuba, has at least one university in the top 500 ranking.

1. University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) (67th place)
2. National Autonomous University of Mexico (104th)
3. Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil) (115th)
4. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (121st)
5. Universidad de Chile (167th)
6. Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) (170th)
7. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil) (210th)
8. Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) (220th)
9. Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia) (243rd)
10. Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (323rd)

With information from Semana