Study in Chile: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

Foreign degree students in Chile need a temporary residence permit in the student subcategory, applied for from abroad, issued for up to two years and extendable. It allows paid work of up to 30 hours a week without further authorisation. At the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2026 undergraduate tuition runs from CLP 4,140,000 to CLP 10,720,000 a year, and applicants schooled abroad can apply for March 2027 entry until 28 October 2026.

Verified 15 Sep 2026 Sources

Chile's universities teach mainly in Spanish, and the academic year starts in March. Students who completed secondary school abroad usually enter through special admission routes rather than Chile's national entrance test. At the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) in Santiago, applicants who finished at least the last two years of secondary school abroad can apply for the first semester of 2027 in two periods, 24 August to 24 September 2026 and 28 September to 28 October 2026, with application fees of CLP 107,230 and CLP 161,150. Assessments run from 16 November to 4 December and results are published on 28 December 2026. UC recommends Spanish at B2 level.

Tuition is set per programme and published as an annual amount. UC's 2026 undergraduate tuition ranges from CLP 4,140,000 to CLP 10,720,000 a year, and every student pays a single enrolment fee of CLP 195,000. Master's programmes quote either a yearly fee or a price for the whole programme.

Foreign students need a temporary residence permit (residencia temporal) in the subcategory for students of institutions recognised by the State, issued by the National Migration Service (Servicio Nacional de Migraciones). The application is only available from abroad. Applicants provide a passport with at least one year of validity, a criminal record certificate if they are over 18, a photograph, a certificate of enrolment from the institution, and proof of means of support, which can be bank deposits, regular transfers in their name, a sworn statement from a sponsor in Chile, or a scholarship certificate. No minimum amount is published. Temporary residence is issued for a maximum of two years and can be extended for further two-year periods.

The fee for temporary residence depends on nationality. The Migration Service's fee page links a table in which the student visa costs US$12 for Bangladeshi nationals and US$78 for Indian nationals, paid in Chilean pesos at the published exchange rate. Student permit holders may carry out lawful paid work for up to 30 hours a week without needing any extra authorisation. After graduating, a temporary resident may apply to change subcategory, for example to a work-based permit.