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Universidad Estatal de Bolívar

Universidad Estatal de Bolívar

Quick facts

City
Guaranda
Country
Ecuador
Type
Public
Founded
1989
Students
9,039
National ranking
#44
Tuition (local students)
US$0
Tuition (international)
US$0
Guide score
5.7/10

Official website: www.ueb.edu.ec

Overview

The Universidad Estatal de Bolívar (UEB) began on 22 October 1977 as an extension of the Universidad de Guayaquil and became an autonomous state university by law in June 1989 (Registro Oficial 225, 4 July 1989). Its 2025 accountability report counts 9,039 students in five faculties and 27 degree programmes, and 1,851 graduates that year. It is CACES-accredited (resolution 143-SE-33-CACES-2020, extended by 216-SO-29-CACES-2025 until the next evaluation). Webometrics July 2026 ranks it 44th in Ecuador and 7,207th worldwide; it is not in QS or THE.

Guaranda, capital of Bolívar province, is a small Andean town at about 2,650 m, known as the "city of seven hills" and for Ecuador's most famous Carnival. Days are cool and nights cold, with fog and rain much of the year. The town is quiet and safe by Ecuadorian standards, but very small: most services fit in a few blocks around Parque Libertador. A notable feature: 53.9% of UEB students come from other provinces (mainly Pichincha, Tungurahua, Chimborazo and Los Ríos), so there is a genuine student-town atmosphere.

Academic programs

Faculty sizes in 2025: Administrative Sciences (2,540 students), Education (1,957), Health (1,748), Agricultural Sciences (1,457) and Law and Social Sciences (1,337). Programmes include Nursing, Physical Therapy, Veterinary Medicine, Disaster Risk Engineering, Law, Sociology, Communication, Basic and Early Childhood Education, Business Administration, Accounting and Auditing, Tourism, Information Technology and Software. Business Administration, Accounting, Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing are also offered online.

Campus life

Teaching is spread over the Gabriel Galarza (urban) and Laguacoto (agricultural, on the edge of town) campuses in Guaranda, plus an extension in San Miguel and a campus in San José de Chimbo. Life revolves around the campus, cheap set lunches, football and the February Carnival. Big-city amenities are in Ambato or Riobamba, both roughly two hours away by bus.

Exchange programs

UEB's international activity is mostly virtual. In 2025 it ran 8 COIL courses with 10 partners in 7 countries, mirror classes and virtual research stays with the Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico), and belongs to 8 networks including OUI and CLADEA. In-person inbound mobility exists but is small — in 2025 four students from the Universidad Pública de Navarra (Spain) did practicums in Physical Therapy and Nursing. Visiting students should contact the university directly; partner lists and deadlines are not published.

Admissions

Admission follows the post-2024 model: a mandatory national Registro Nacional (MINEDEC), then UEB's own process at admisiones.ueb.edu.ec. For the second 2026 period registration ran 29 June-10 July and the exam 28-31 July — virtual, proctored, 100 questions in 120 minutes, with an additional in-person test for health programmes — followed by application rounds from 6 August. Places are allocated using the exam plus school grades. Undergraduate study is free under gratuidad (first degree, full load, fees if you fail courses).

Foreigners need a regular migration status and passport with visa to complete the Registro Nacional and a MINEDEC-homologated secondary diploma. The visa de residencia temporal de estudiante (Cancillería, USD 50 + USD 80, apostilled criminal record, proof of means, admission letter) covers up to two years and is renewable. Foreign degrees used for postgraduate entry are recognised through SENESCYT.

Student housing

No university residences. Guaranda is one of the cheapest student markets in Ecuador: local press reports rooms in Guanujo and near the campuses at USD 70-100/month (about €60-85), and furnished flats around USD 200 (≈€170).

Career services

Information pending — contributions welcome. Pre-professional internships are compulsory and health students train in provincial hospitals, but no graduate-employment statistics were found.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

Inbound practicums and virtual mobility (COIL, mirror classes) are run through the UEB international relations office. Listed in the Parlamento Andino / Uniwords network. Teaching in Spanish.

Next steps

Sources