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Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres

Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres

Quick facts

City
Esmeraldas
Country
Ecuador
Type
Public
Founded
1970
Students
8,674
National ranking
#50
Tuition (local students)
US$0
Tuition (international)
US$0
Guide score
4.8/10

Official website: www.utelvt.edu.ec

Overview

The Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres de Esmeraldas (UTELVT) was created by Ley 70-16 of 4 May 1970 (Registro Oficial 436) and is the only public university based in Esmeraldas province, on Ecuador's northern Pacific coast. It had 8,674 students in the semester that began in February 2025. It is CACES-accredited (resolution 044-SO-09-CACES-2024) and ranks 50th in Ecuador and 7,897th worldwide in Webometrics July 2026; it is not in QS or THE.

The key fact for anyone considering it: on 25 April 2025 a magnitude ~6 earthquake damaged most of the main Nuevos Horizontes campus (estimates of 60-75% of buildings). Repairing 14 blocks was costed at about USD 13 million, an emergency was declared in October 2025, and teaching moved largely online. Whether in-person classes have fully resumed in 2026 could not be confirmed — ask the university before planning a stay.

Esmeraldas is a hot, humid port city at sea level with Afro-Ecuadorian marimba culture and beaches nearby (Las Palmas in town, Atacames about 30 km away). Safety is a serious concern: the province recorded 364 homicides in 2025, the canton's homicide rate was about 59 per 100,000 in the first half of 2025, and a state of exception has applied since 16 June 2026. Homicides fell slightly in early 2026, but other crime rose. Follow local advice and avoid moving around at night.

Academic programs

Faculties cover engineering, education, administrative and economic sciences, social sciences and services, and agricultural sciences. Programmes (each typically with 45-90 places per intake): Business Administration, Accounting, Commerce, Animal Science, Agronomy, Forestry, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineering, Information Technology, several teacher-education degrees (Early Childhood, Basic Education, Physical Activity, Language and Literature, Mathematics and Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Tourism, Sociology and Social Work.

Campus life

Campuses: Nuevos Horizontes in the west of the city (most faculties and admissions), Mútile near Tachina / San Mateo for the agricultural programmes, and a sede in La Concordia (Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas) teaching Administration, Accounting and IT. A Quinindé extension is planned. With the main campus damaged, campus life is currently limited.

Exchange programs

Information pending — contributions welcome. The statute provides for a Unidad de Relaciones Nacionales e Internacionales, but no current exchange calls, partners or inbound figures were found.

Admissions

After the national Registro Nacional, UTELVT runs its own process via its SIAD platform. For the second 2026 period registration ran 15-30 June, followed by an in-person reasoning exam; the final score is 50% exam and 50% school grades, with no minimum mark. It follows the Costa academic calendar. Study is free under gratuidad.

Foreigners need regular migration status (normally the visa de residencia temporal de estudiante, USD 50 + USD 80, apostilled criminal record, proof of means, admission letter) and a MINEDEC-homologated school diploma.

Student housing

No residences. Advertised options include a room with private bathroom and WiFi a few steps from the campus for about USD 150/month (≈€130), and four-bedroom houses in Nuevos Horizontes around USD 350 (≈€300) for sharing.

Career services

Information pending — contributions welcome.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

A Unidad de Relaciones Nacionales e Internacionales exists under the statute, but no active exchange calls were found. Listed in the Parlamento Andino / Uniwords network. Teaching in Spanish.

Next steps

Sources