The best universities in Latin America can be found in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina. These Latin American schools ranked high on US News and offer a great experience for international students. Many prestigious universities from these countries provide international programs in different disciplines.
Whether you want to pursue jobs in engineering, information technology, or criminal justice, the best universities in Latin America have a variety of programs to offer. We give you a list of the best schools in Latin America according to their world rankings from education experts.
What Attracts Students to Universities in Latin America?
Latin America itself attracts students. They love the geographical diversity, the friendly people, and the relatively low cost of living in several Latin American countries. This is also a great place to learn foreign languages like Spanish and Portuguese. Universities in Latin America offer a wide range of educational options for national and international students with high-quality teaching.
Latin America Schools Ranked: An Overview
| Latin America Rank | World Rank on Times Higher Education | World Rank on US News | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 201–250th | 115 | University of São Paulo |
| 2 | 401–500th | 275 | State University of Campinas |
| 3 | 401–500th | 308 | Pontificia Universidad Católica De Chile |
| 4 | 1001–1200th | 376 | Federal University of Rio de Janeiro |
| 5 | 801–1000th | 392 | Universidad De Chile |
| 6 | 601–800th | 456 | Federal University of Minas Gerais |
| 7 | 1001–1200th | 471 | Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) |
| 8 | 801–1000th | 566 | Universidad de los Andes Colombia |
| 9 | 601–800th | 786 | Tecnológico De Monterrey |
| 10 | 801–1000th | 1111 | Pontifical Catholic University of Rio De Janeiro |
The Best Universities in Latin America, Explained
This list of the best schools in Latin America provides you with essential information about these education institutions. Read on to see where Latin American schools ranked in US rankings.
1. University of São Paulo
- Campus Location(s): São Paulo, Bauru, Lorena, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirão Preto, São Carlos
- Acceptance Rate: 5%
- Graduation Rate: 60% for Bachelor’s degree; 86% for master’s degree
- US News Country Rank: #115
University of São Paulo (USP), one of the largest Brazilian universities, provides plenty of undergrad and graduate courses in engineering, science, business, law, and journalism. This university also accepts exchange students from its partner university around the world. Foreign students can use the Brazilian Public Health System services for emergency cases throughout their stay in the country.
2. State University of Campinas
- Campus Location(s): Campinas, Limeira, Piracicaba
- Acceptance Rate: 5%
- Graduation Rate: 81% for Bachelor’s degree; 82% for master’s degree
- US News Country Rank: #275
The Brazil State University of Campinas, also known as Unicamp, is included in the top three best universities in Latin America. Unicamp Internacional consists of volunteer students who help international students during their stay at Unicamp. They also organize fun and exciting cultural events.
You can enroll in many undergrad and graduate programs at Unicamp, such as medicine, engineering, and sciences. It also offers free undergraduate courses.
3. Pontificia Universidad Católica De Chile
- Campus Location(s): Santiago, Villarrica
- Acceptance Rate: 63%
- Graduation Rate: 89% for master’s degree
- US News Country Rank: #308
This private university was founded in June 1888 in Santiago, Chile. It offers a wide range of degree programs for graduate and undergraduate students. You can also enroll in several postgraduate degrees at this university.
International students should be good Spanish speakers with a minimum GPA of 3.0. They can study in different fields at Pontificia Universidad Católica De Chile, such as music, architecture, sports, economics, or even pursue different career paths in biology.
4. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
- Campus Location(s): Rio de Janeiro
- Acceptance Rate: 5%
- Graduation Rate: NA
- US News Country Rank: #376
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is one of the best universities in Latin America, with a student population of 54,055. The city’s geographic features make these prestigious institutions highly attractive. Rio de Janeiro stands between the backdrop of mountains with a beautiful outlook of blue oceans.
5. Universidad De Chile
- Campus Location(s): Santiago
- Acceptance Rate: 67%
- Graduation Rate: NA
- US News Country Rank: #392
Universidad De Chile, or the University of Chile, is a Latin American university founded in November 1842. It provides 320 academic programs and has 40,000 students from undergrad and graduate courses. It also offers a student mobility program for students from international universities who are allowed to take the same courses as regular students.
6. Federal University of Minas Gerais
- Campus Location(s): Minas Gerais
- Acceptance Rate: 6%
- Graduation Rate: NA
- US News Country Rank: #456
Federal University of Minas Gerais or Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) is an excellent university that offers free-of-charge programs. It was founded in September 1927 and is considered Minas Gerais’ oldest university. International students can study at UFMG for up to two academic years. They must be proficient in Portuguese since classes at UFMG use this language.
7. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
- Campus Location(s): São Paulo
- Acceptance Rate: 25%
- Graduation Rate: 33% for Bachelor’s degree; 86% for master’s degree
- US News Country Rank: #471
Unesp is a Latin American university founded on January 30, 1976. It has 24 campuses with more than 50,000 students. Foreign students can apply for undergrads, master’s, and doctorate level programs at UNESP such as engineering, biology, psychology, chemistry, and linguistics.
8. Universidad de los Andes Colombia
- Campus Location(s): Bogotá
- Acceptance Rate: 35%
- Graduation Rate: 95% for master’s degree
- US News Country Rank: #566
Universidad de los Andes Colombia was established in 1948 and is considered the first Colombian university not to relate to any religious sector. This university conducts summer programs for international students, and they will also have an opportunity to join research projects and other exciting activities like forums, lectures, and seminars.
9. Tecnológico de Monterrey
- Campus Location(s): Monterrey
- Acceptance Rate: 55%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
- US News Country Rank: #786
Tecnológico de Monterrey is a Latin American university founded on September 6, 1943. It has 35 campuses in Mexico and offers undergrads, graduate, and continuous education programs.
Tecnológico de Monterrey offers a Global Shared Learning Classroom option to students, wherein a course from this university connects to courses from international universities. This program will allow students to have a great experience with global learning.
10. Pontifical Catholic University of Rio De Janeiro
- Campus Location(s): Rio de Janeiro
- Acceptance Rate: 35%
- Graduation Rate: 85.39% for master’s degree
- US News Country Rank: #1111
Number 10 on the list of the best schools in Latin America is Pontifical Catholic University Of Rio De Janeiro, also known as PUC-Rio. Exchange students from any partner institution of PUC-Rio can enroll in courses for up to two regular terms. They should also attend the required pre-term Portuguese as a second language course.
How We Created Our List of the Best Schools in Latin America
In order to create our list, we followed the Times Higher Education 2022 World University Rankings. This ranking was created by evaluating teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry outcomes of over 1,600 institutions from around the world. Complementary information was retrieved from the US News Best National University Rankings.
Is a Top University in Latin America Right for You?
A top university in Latin America is right for you if you want to master the Spanish or Portuguese language. If you love to travel, South America is a rich and diverse place to visit. Studying at the best universities in Latin America would give you valuable experiences and expose you to its different cultures and environments.
While you’re saving money to study and travel in Latin America, you could attend classes in a nearby community college or university in your area. You can also enroll in programs offering short courses such as coding bootcamps if you’d like to pursue a career in tech.
Best Universities in Latin America FAQ
Some of the best universities in Latin America are The University of São Paulo, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Veritas, and Universidad de la Habana. These universities offer world-class education, and fun, exciting events for foreign students. Some universities also offer free courses.
The requirements for international students who want to study in Latin America are a student visa, a personal statement, the required GPA of the university they want to apply to, and letters of recommendation. They should also be proficient in the Portuguese or Spanish language. Applicants may be required to pass language tests such as CELU (Certificado de Español: Lengua y Uso) and CELPEBras.
According to the QS World University Rankings 2021 by subject, Universidade de São Paulo is the leading university in the field of engineering and technology with an overall score of 76.7, followed by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC).
US News ranks the Universidade de São Paulo as the best university in Latin America. It also made 10th place in the best global universities for agricultural sciences and 16th place in the best global universities for plant and animal science.
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