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Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos

Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos

Quick facts

City
Lima
Country
Peru
Type
Public
Founded
1551
Students
44,000
National ranking
#2
International ranking
#984
Tuition (local students)
PEN 0
Acceptance rate
10.5 %
Guide score
6.8/10

Official website: www.unmsm.edu.pe

Overview

The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM, "la Decana de América") was chartered in 1551 and is the oldest continuously operating university in the Americas. It is Peru's largest and best-known public university: 20 faculties and 81 undergraduate programmes, with roughly 44,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students (figure cited by a dean during the May 2026 conflict; no official 2026 headcount was found). It holds SUNEDU institutional licensing.

In the QS World University Rankings 2027 San Marcos is reported at 984th (inside QS's 951–1000 band), second in Peru after PUCP and the top public university. In QS Latin America & Caribbean 2026 it is 44th.

Undergraduate teaching is free for students admitted through the public process, as at all Peruvian public universities. A price for foreign degree-seekers was not published in the sources reviewed — confirm with the Oficina Central de Admisión (OCA).

Academic programs

The five admission areas show the breadth: Health Sciences (Medicina Humana at the historic San Fernando faculty, plus Nursing, Obstetrics, Pharmacy, Dentistry), Basic Sciences, Engineering (Systems, Industrial, Electronic, Civil, Geology/Mining, and the new Logistics and Digital Supply Chain Engineering run with Inha University, Korea), Economics and Management, and Humanities, Law and Social Sciences. Teaching is in Spanish, in two semesters. In 2026 the first semester ran from 30 March to 18 July.

Campus life

Most faculties sit in the Ciudad Universitaria, a large walled campus between Av. Venezuela and Av. Universitaria on the Cercado de Lima / San Miguel edge. Medicine is downtown at San Fernando, and some programmes have a branch in San Juan de Lurigancho. Student comedores serve subsidised meals (the central one feeds about 2,600 students a day). The campus also has the Estadio San Marcos.

Politics are part of campus life. From 12 to 27 May 2026 students occupied the Ciudad Universitaria in protest over university elections. Expect occasional disruption.

Exchange programs

The Oficina General de Cooperación y Relaciones Interinstitucionales (OGCRI) handles incoming students. There are two tracks:

Requirements are two completed years of study, strong grades and Spanish B1. Your home international office must send the application to movilidad.ogcri@unmsm.edu.pe. Deadlines are 15 December for March–July and 30 May for August–December. You take odd-numbered cycles in the first semester and even-numbered ones in the second.

Admissions

Admission is through a competitive general exam organised by the OCA over four days, by area. In Admisión 2026-I, 26,518 applicants sat the exam and 2,772 were admitted. That gives a computed acceptance rate of about 10.5%. Medicine had 4,799 applicants for 55 places. In 2026-II, 27,735 applicants competed for 5,804 places. The pre-university centre (CEPUSM) is an alternative entry route.

Foreign applicants register with a passport or carné de extranjería. Secondary certificates must be apostilled and convalidated by Peru's Ministry of Education (MINEDU).

Degree-seekers staying a year or more need the calidad migratoria de formación residente from Migraciones, applied for online from abroad. You'll need an enrolment certificate, apostilled criminal records and a solvency declaration. For short exchanges, OGCRI's guidance is to request the full 183 days at entry by showing your acceptance letter. Check that this still applies to your nationality.

Student housing

University accommodation is minimal and aimed at low-income students from the provinces. International students rent. Pueblo Libre, San Miguel and Jesús María are practical for the Ciudad Universitaria. Listings in 2026 show rooms at roughly S/400–1,100 per month (about €100–270), often bills included. Miraflores costs more and means a long commute.

Career services

The San Marcos name carries real weight in Peru's public sector, health, law and engineering. Careers support is mostly organised by each faculty and is thinner than at private universities. Details of a central careers service are pending — contributions welcome.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

Inbound exchange through OGCRI with nomination by a partner university (200+ agreements); free movers pay academic costs. Spanish B1 required. Parlamento Andino / Uniwords network member.

Universities in Lima

Next steps

Sources