Recently, the firm QS Quacquarelli Symonds published the list of the best universities in the world; Of course, Colombia continues to gain positions and improve its performance; In the 2023 edition of the QS World University Rankings, nearly 1,500 institutions from around the world were included, 11 national universities were ranked in the top 1,000.
The Universidad de los Andes once again ranked as the best Colombian university in the QS World University Rankings 2023; achieving a score of 41.6 points is the first in the country and the 220th internationally.
For its part, the National University was positioned as the second best in the country with 38.9 and ranked 243 in the world ranking; while the Javeriana University obtained a score of 29.5, ranking as the third best institution at the national level and the 382nd at the international level.
Meanwhile, the Technological University of Pereira ranked in the 1,201-1,400 range of the best universities in the world; In the Ranking of Latin American universities, it went from place 201 in 2021 to 151 in 2023, with an academic reputation of 20.1%. while at the national level it managed to rank 9th in the U-Sapiens 2022-2 ranking
However, the biggest obstacle for Colombian universities is due to the impact of the research, since none of its universities manages to be above 600 in the world in terms of citations per professor.
So, these are the best Colombian universities according to the QS World University Rankings
1. Universidad de los Andes (ranked 220 worldwide)
2. National University of Colombia (243)
3. Pontifical Javeriana University (382)
4. Pontifical Bolivarian University (601-650)
5. University of Antioquia (651-700)
6. Externado de Colombia University (651-700)
7. Icesi University (651-700)
8. University of La Sabana (701-750)
9. University of Rosario (751-800)
10. University of the Valley (801-1,000)
11. EAFIT University (801-1,000)
12. University of Córdoba – Colombia (1,001-1,200)
13. University of the North (1,001-1,200)
14. Industrial University of Santander – UIS (1,001-1,200)
15. University of Bogotá-Jorge Tadeo Lozano Foundation (1,201-1,400)
16. Catholic University of Colombia (1,201-1,400)
17. University of Caldas (1,201-1,400)
18. University of Cartagena (1,201-1,400)
19. University of La Salle (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. Technological University of Pereira (1,201-1,400)
25. Bolívar Technological University (1,401+)
“It is important to recognize that Colombia has experienced a period of robust 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, QS Vice President.
In Colombia, the tertiary gross enrollment rate doubled, since it went from 28% in 2004 to 55 percent in 2018. Meanwhile, the number of higher education graduates went from 65,720 in 2002 to 482,122 in 2018, points out the QS Vice President
“However, Colombian investment in higher education has historically been low. An issue that came to a head in 2018 with protests and an emergency budget supplement to combat a $5.7 trillion shortfall in college spending. Now, given the imminence of the presidential elections, it is essential -whatever the result- that the government prioritizes the provision of resources to its universities”, added Sowter