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

Colombia's universities teach mainly in Spanish, and the academic year is divided into two semesters. Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, founded in 1948, charges 2026 undergraduate tuition of COP 26,860,000 a semester for most programmes and COP 38,220,000 for Medicine, with the same fee for new and returning students and no separate rate listed for foreigners; 2027 prices are published from 14 October 2026. Master's programmes are priced per credit, such as COP 2,260,000 a credit for the MBA, and the 2026 postgraduate application fee is COP 357,000. Undergraduate applications for the first semester of 2027 open on 21 July and close on 7 December 2026. English is a graduation requirement at B2 reading level for undergraduates, and master's programmes with a language requirement ask for TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.5.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a visitor visa (type V) for students, valid for up to two years. Applicants complete the online form with a photograph and a passport valid for at least six months, and add a letter explaining the planned activity, a certificate of admission or enrolment showing the programme and its length, and a health insurance policy covering the whole stay. For personal applications, bank statements for the previous six months must show monthly income of at least ten legal minimum monthly wages. Nationals who are exempt from visas do not need the student visa for stays of 180 days or less, and spending more than 90 days outside Colombia ends the visa except for online or distance study.

The student visa allows university postgraduate students to work up to 20 hours a week, after the employer reports it to the migration authority and Ministry of Labour. Undergraduates who graduate with honours from a Colombian university can apply for an internship visa, and undergraduates in fields with a skills shortage, as well as doctoral and postdoctoral graduates of Colombian universities, can apply for a work visa. The visa authority has up to thirty calendar days to decide an application.