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Universidad del Valle

Universidad del Valle

Quick facts

City
Cali
Country
Colombia
Type
Public
Founded
1945
Students
35,803
National ranking
#4
Tuition (international)
COP 14,007,240
Guide score
7.3/10

Official website: www.univalle.edu.co

Overview

The Universidad del Valle (Univalle), founded in 1945, is the main public university of south-western Colombia. It is also one of the country's top research institutions:

In May 2024 (Resolución 007464), MEN renewed its institutional acreditación de alta calidad for ten years, the maximum. More than 80 of its programmes are accredited.

SNIES data for 2025 put enrolment at 35,803, and roughly 14,000 of those study at regional campuses. In Cali the two campuses are Ciudad Universitaria Meléndez in the south (Calle 13 # 100-00), which holds most faculties, and San Fernando (Calle 4B # 36-00), home to Health and Administration Sciences. The regional network also covers Buenaventura (Pacífico), Tuluá, Palmira, Buga, Yumbo, Cartago and several other towns.

Academic programs

Univalle has ten faculties and institutes: Engineering, Health, Natural and Exact Sciences, Humanities, Social and Economic Sciences, Administration Sciences, Integrated Arts, Education and Pedagogy, Psychology, and Law and Political Science. Medicine, Engineering and the Health programmes carry the most prestige. The Integrated Arts faculty is also well known for music, theatre and film. Teaching is in Spanish.

Campus life

Meléndez is a large, green, walled campus with its own sports facilities. It has a busy student movement, and assemblies or *paros* (student strikes) sometimes disrupt the calendar. Cali is warm all year and famous for salsa. Its nightlife is cheap and lively, from Juanchito to San Antonio. Safety varies a lot by neighbourhood, so ask locals before you choose where to live or go out at night.

Exchange programs

Exchange applications go to the DRI (Dirección de Relaciones Internacionales). Your home university nominates you with a presentation letter. You then send:

Deadlines are 29 May for August–December and 30 October for February–June. Univalle also takes part in the Alianza del Pacífico mobility platform. Visa-exempt students usually enter with a PIP/PID permit (90 days, extendable); others need a Visa V.

Admissions

Admission to first semester depends on Saber 11. Cali requires a minimum global score of 170, and each programme weights the test areas differently. Some programmes add aptitude tests.

Tuition is set by stratum, the fee of the school you finished and the minimum wage (SMMLV), not by programme. It ranges up to 8 SMMLV per semester. Colombians eligible for Política de Gratuidad (Sisbén A–C) pay nothing.

Foreigners who finished secondary school abroad pay the maximum 8 SMMLV, about COP 14.0 million per semester in 2026 (≈ €3,800), plus smaller fees. Foreign degree-seekers must also:

Student housing

Univalle has no general residences. Students rent around Meléndez, Ciudad Jardín, El Ingenio, Capri and El Limonar in the south. A room near campus runs about COP 380,000–650,000 a month (€100–175). A furnished room with a private bathroom in Ciudad Jardín or Granada costs COP 700,000–1,300,000.

Career services

Univalle has a graduate office and job board. Its graduates are strong in health and engineering and move into Valle's sugar, agro-industrial and manufacturing sectors, the port of Buenaventura, and public-sector research. Information pending on placement statistics — contributions welcome.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

Active partner in the Parlamento Andino / Uniwords network. Inbound exchange via the Dirección de Relaciones Internacionales (DRI) with home-university nomination, Spanish B2, deadlines 29 May (Aug-Dec) and 30 October (Feb-Jun).

Next steps

Sources