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Universidad Internacional del Trópico Americano

Universidad Internacional del Trópico Americano

Quick facts

City
Yopal
Country
Colombia
Type
Public
Founded
2000
Students
4,107
Tuition (local students)
COP 1,751,000
Guide score
5.5/10

Official website: www.unitropico.edu.co

Overview

Unitrópico's full name is the Universidad Internacional del Trópico Americano. It is the departmental university of Casanare, based in Yopal in the eastern *llanos* (Orinoquía). It opened in 2000 as a private foundation. Ley 1937 de 2018 allowed the Casanare assembly to make it a state institution, so it is now a public university with its own autonomous regime. Older listings, including earlier versions of this page, still call it private.

It is small and growing. SNIES/Ministerio de Educación data for 2025 show 4,107 enrolled students. The university reported 3,852 students at the start of 2025-A and about 4,700 in 2026, and it aims for 10,000 by 2030. Programmes hold MEN *registro calificado* (the licence to operate). We found no CNA *acreditación de alta calidad*, either institutional or for a programme. Its Quality and Accreditation Office describes accreditation as a goal still to be reached. It does not appear in the QS, U-Sapiens or Scimago rankings.

Academic programs

About 13 undergraduate programmes run in person at the Yopal campus (Carrera 19 # 39-40, Ciudadela Universitaria). The subjects follow the regional economy of cattle, agribusiness and oil and energy:

Postgraduate study is limited to a few *especializaciones*, such as Environmental Evaluation and Labour Law, plus one master's.

Campus life

Yopal is a hot plains city shaped by *llanera* culture: joropo music, *mamona* (roast veal) and cattle fairs. The campus has grown to about 24,500 m² built. Student life centres on Bienestar Universitario activities, and the student body is mostly from Casanare. You will be one of very few foreigners.

Exchange programs

The ORI handles inbound and outbound mobility under Resolución Rectoral 062 de 2022, and the university takes part in the national GoColombia strategy. Exchange agreements with named foreign universities are not published in detail. If you want to come on exchange, ask your home office to contact the ORI directly and confirm a working agreement first. Expect Spanish-only teaching.

Admissions

Two intakes a year: semester A starts in February and semester B in August. For 2025-B, registration closed on 17 May 2025. The 2026 pregrado registration PIN costs COP 194,000. You need:

Undergraduate tuition in 2026 is COP 1,751,000 per semester (1 SMMLV) for business and economics programmes and COP 2,626,000 for Architecture and Veterinary Medicine. Under the national Política de Gratuidad / Matrícula Cero, eligible Colombians (Sisbén IV groups A–C, victims, Indigenous students) pay nothing. In 2025 this covered 98.3% of students. New students may have to pay first and get a refund once the ministry confirms eligibility.

Foreign degree-seekers must:

A separate tuition rate for foreigners is not published. Information pending — contributions welcome.

Student housing

There are no residences. Most students rent near the centre or near Carrera 19. Listings show one-bedroom *apartaestudios* at around COP 780,000–850,000 a month (about €210–230). A furnished room is usually cheaper, though posted room prices are scarce. Air conditioning matters in Yopal's heat.

Career services

Unitrópico runs a *bolsa de empleo* (job board) and graduate office. It says about 70% of graduates find a first job directly after finishing, and it graduated around 550 students in 2025. Jobs cluster in the Casanare oil and gas supply chain, public administration, agribusiness and livestock.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

Parlamento Andino partner. Mobility runs through the ORI (Oficina de Relaciones y Cooperación Internacional) under Resolución Rectoral 062 de 2022 and the GoColombia strategy; incoming exchange volumes are small.

Next steps

Sources