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Universidad La Gran Colombia

Universidad La Gran Colombia

Quick facts

City
Bogotá
Country
Colombia
Type
Private
Founded
1951
Students
7,235
Tuition (local students)
COP 6,857,256
Guide score
6.2/10

Official website: www.ugc.edu.co

Overview

The Universidad La Gran Colombia (UGC) is a private, non-profit university in Bogotá's historic centre. It was founded on 15 November 1950 by Julio César García Valencia and a group of teachers and students, began classes in February 1951, and received legal recognition in 1953. Its Catholic-humanist and Bolivarian identity is still part of its mission. The main Bogotá buildings are in La Candelaria (Carrera 6 # 12B-40 and nearby). A second branch, the Seccional Armenia in Quindío, has its own campus, Ciudadela del Saber La Santa María.

SNIES counts 7,235 students for 2025 across both branches, about 1,350 fewer than in 2024. Its own 2025 report counts about 8,700 when continuing education is included. It does not appear in QS Latin America or U-Sapiens, and we found no current Scimago position.

Accreditation status:

Academic programs

The Bogotá branch offers about 17 undergraduate programmes across five faculties:

It also runs *especializaciones* and master's programmes, mainly in law, education and management. All teaching is in Spanish.

Campus life

UGC is not an enclosed campus. It is a cluster of buildings in the city centre, surrounded by other universities, cafés, bookshops, museums, the Plaza de Bolívar and La Candelaria's bars. Sports space is limited, and Bienestar runs clubs and cultural groups. The centre is lively by day. At night some streets empty out, so move in groups and use app taxis.

Exchange programs

The ORII runs an annual call for foreign students. Your home ORI nominates you, you send the application with your transcript and study plan, and non-native speakers need B1 Spanish. Under agreements you usually pay no tuition. Published partners include UAM Xochimilco (Mexico) and Universidade Católica Portuguesa. The Armenia branch reports several hundred incoming and outgoing mobilities, many of them virtual or short-term. The full agreement list is on the ORII page.

Admissions

Degree applicants register online, provide Saber 11 results and complete an interview or entrance process that depends on the programme. The current 2026-2 and 2027-1 dates were not clear from the sources. Information pending — contributions welcome.

Tuition in 2026 is COP 6,857,256 per semester for Law (≈ €1,850) and COP 7,828,632 for Architecture. These are moderate for a private university in Bogotá. No separate rate for foreigners is published.

Foreign degree-seekers need:

Student housing

UGC has no residences. Budget rooms in La Candelaria and Las Aguas cost about COP 700,000–1,000,000 a month (€190–270). Teusaquillo and Chapinero cost a little more and are quieter. Both are a short TransMilenio ride away.

Career services

The university runs a graduate office and a job board. Law and education graduates mostly go into litigation, notaries, public administration and schools. Information pending on employability figures — contributions welcome.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

Parlamento Andino partner. Inbound exchange through the ORII (relaciones.internacionales@ugc.edu.co) requires nomination by a partner university and Spanish B1.

Universities in Bogotá

Next steps

Sources