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Universidad del Tolima

Universidad del Tolima

Quick facts

City
Ibagué
Country
Colombia
Type
Public
Founded
1945
Students
29,131
Tuition (local students)
COP 0
Guide score
6.8/10

Official website: www.ut.edu.co

Overview

The Universidad del Tolima (UT) is the public departmental university of Tolima. It was created by Ordenanza 5 of 21 May 1945. Its main campus is in Barrio Santa Helena Parte Alta (Calle 42 #1-02) in Ibagué, Colombia's "musical capital" in the Andes. MEN figures compiled by El Observatorio de la Universidad Colombiana give 29,131 students in 2025. A large share of them study at a distance through the IDEAD institute (created 1982), which runs tutorial centres in many departments.

UT holds CNA institutional accreditation: first by Resolución 13189 of 2020 (four years), then renewed by Resolución 007465 of 15 May 2024 for six years. In the Scimago Institutions Rankings 2026 it is placed 7,583rd worldwide. Its strongest Scimago subject is Veterinary (6th in Colombia). No U-Sapiens 2026-1 position was confirmed.

Academic programs

The faculties are:

Postgraduate programmes run up to doctoral level. Teaching is in Spanish, in semesters A (February) and B (August).

Tuition: UT applies the national Política de Gratuidad. It grants gratuidad for the first semester while the MEN checks eligibility (no prior professional degree, not a beneficiary elsewhere). If you do not qualify, you are charged the ordinary fee; eligible local students pay nothing. Distance programmes cost 1 SMMLV per semester (COP 1,750,905 in 2026). We found no published figures for in-person programmes without gratuidad, or for foreigners: Information pending — contributions welcome. Registration costs COP 209,000, plus insurance (13,000 per semester), a card (52,200) and a physical-fitness test (153,700) for admitted students.

Campus life

Santa Helena is a hillside campus with green areas, sports fields, a botanical garden and veterinary facilities. Ibagué is a mid-sized, mild-climate city. Life is calmer and cheaper than in Bogotá, which is about four hours away by road. The Festival Folclórico and music conservatory tradition give the city its character. Bienestar offers sports, culture and a housing subsidy.

Exchange programs

The ORI handles agreement-based mobility for a semester, an internship or a research stay. Required documents are a nomination letter from your home university, a transcript, health insurance and your passport. Veterinary science, agronomy and forestry are the most natural fits for visiting students.

Admissions

Applicants need Saber 11 (taken from 2006 onwards) with at least 30 points in each area; they are ranked by weighted score. Foreign-schooled applicants must apostille and convalidate their bachillerato with the MEN. No acceptance rate is published. Stays of more than 180 days, or nationals who need a visa, require the Cancillería Visa V Estudiante.

Student housing

UT has no residences. It offers a means-tested housing subsidy of 30% of the SMMLV for four months. Rooms cost about COP 400,000–900,000 per month. Recommended barrios include Santa Helena, La Castellana and Belalcázar, all within walking distance or a short bus ride.

Career services

Graduate relations and prácticas are run through the faculties and the Vicerrectoría de Desarrollo Humano. Veterinary and agronomy graduates are in demand across the Tolima rice and livestock sector. We found no published employment statistics: Information pending — contributions welcome.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

Active partner in the Parlamento Andino / Uniwords network; the ORI admits agreement-based incoming students for a semester, internship or research stay, nominated by their home university.

Next steps

Sources