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

Ecuador uses the US dollar, so university fees are quoted in dollars. At Universidad San Francisco de Quito, the country's first private university, 2026-2027 undergraduate tuition ranges from USD 9,632 a year for Music to USD 12,880 for Medicine, and postgraduate programmes such as the MBA cost USD 18,600 in total. Ecuador's government visa pages could not be reached from outside the country for this guide.

Verified 15 Sep 2026 Sources

Ecuador's universities teach mainly in Spanish and run semesters starting in August and January, and fees are quoted in US dollars, the national currency. Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), founded in 1988 as Ecuador's first private university, has more than 8,500 students and receives around 1,000 international students each year. Its 2026-2027 undergraduate fee schedule charges USD 10,951 a year for business and economics programmes, USD 11,792 for engineering, computer science and architecture, USD 12,880 for Medicine and USD 9,632 for Music, plus an enrolment fee each semester of roughly USD 480 to USD 643. Postgraduate programmes quote a total cost, such as USD 18,600 for the MBA, USD 12,900 for the Master's in Finance and USD 7,250 for the Master's in Artificial Intelligence. The undergraduate admission exam costs USD 110 and a postgraduate application USD 80.

USFQ does not publish an application deadline online, but its academic calendar sets 14 January 2027 as the late enrolment and tuition payment date for new students in the January 2027 semester, which runs from 11 January to 14 May 2027. The university does not publish a Spanish test minimum for foreign degree students. English at B2 level, shown by a certificate such as TOEFL iBT, Cambridge or IELTS no more than two years old, is required to graduate from undergraduate study, and postgraduate programmes set their own English admission levels, from no minimum for the MBA to A2 for the Master's in Artificial Intelligence and B1 for the PhD in Microbiology. USFQ's excellence scholarships cover up to 70% of tuition for high-scoring students who live in Ecuador.

Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and government portal did not respond to requests from outside the country when this guide was written, so the student visa rules, fees and processing times could not be checked against an official source and are not stated here. Applicants should confirm the current visa requirements with an Ecuadorian consulate before travelling.