The University of the Andes, usually known as Uniandes, is a private research university in Bogotá, Colombia. It was the first nonsectarian university in Colombia, founded in 1948 by a group of Colombian intellectuals led by Mario Laserna Pinzón (independent of any political party or religious institution). According to both the QS World Top University Ranking and the Times Higher Education Classification, Los Andes has consistently been regarded in 1st place in the top best universities in Colombia, as well as one of the top 5 Latin American universities and one of the top 250 universities in the world.

The University of the Andes has nine schools, three special academic entities—the Alberto Lleras Camargo School of Government, the Center for Research and Training in Education, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Development Studies—and a joint academic venture with the medical institution Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation, which offers 31 undergraduates, 18 doctoral, and 38 graduate degree-granting programs in fields such as medicine, engineering, and development studies.

As of 2011, Colciencias had acknowledged 128 research groups at the institution, the majority of which were in the social sciences, mathematics, physics, and engineering. The number of research groups accredited by Colciencias had grown to 153 by 2017. It is one of the few universities in Colombia to have acquired the highest level of institutional accreditation from the Colombian Ministry of Education, which was granted in January 2015.

Established: November 16, 1948

Location: Bogotá, Colombia

The National University of Colombia is a public research university in Colombia with campuses in Bogotá, Medelln, Manizales, and Palmira, as well as satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés (island), Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, Cesar. It was founded in 1867 by an act of the Colombian Congress, and it is one of the country's largest institutions, with about 53,000 students. It offers 450 academic programs, including 95 undergraduate degrees, 83 academic specialities, 40 medical specialties, 167 master's degrees, and 65 doctorates, and grants several academic degrees. A total of 44,000 undergraduate students and 8,000 postgraduate students are enrolled in the university. It is also one of the few universities in the country that employs post-doctoral fellows.

The Association of Colombian Universities (ASCUN), the Iberoamerican Association of Postgraduate Universities (AUIP), and the Ibero-American University Network Universia are all members of the university. It is part of Colombia's Golden Triangle of higher education, together with Antioquia and Valle universities, and is one of the country's most selective and competitive universities. The National University of Colombia produced the most significant number of scientific articles published in peer-refereed publications in the country, and was the most prolific in Latin America, according to the SCImago Institutions Rankings Iber by SCImago Research Group.

Medicine, nursing, dentistry, engineering, chemistry, pharmacy, mathematics, physics, geology, biology, psychology, social sciences, arts (music, fine arts), languages, philosophy, and law are among the undergraduate and graduate programs offered at the university. In 1967, it was the first university in Colombia to offer a master's program in computer science.

Established: September 22, 1867

Location: Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia

The University of Antioquia, also known as UdeA, is a public departmental, coeducational, research university with regional campuses in Amalfi, Andes, Caucasia, Carmen de Viboral, Envigado, Puerto Berro, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Segovia, Sonsón, Turbo, and Yarumal. It is Colombia's oldest departmental university, having been established in 1803 by Royal Decree of King Charles IV of Spain as Franciscan College. It is regarded as one of the best universities in Colombia, having received 9 years of high-quality certification from the Ministry of Education. The two universities, along with the University of the Andes, have the second-longest term, trailing only the National University of Colombia. The universities of Antioquia and Tecnológico de Antioquia have the most seats in the department. It's also known for its prominent Faculty of Medicine, which is widely regarded as one of Colombia's greatest medical institutions.

The University of Antioquia belongs to the Colombian Universities Association (ASCUN), the Iberoamerican Association of Postgraduate Universities (AUIP), and the Universia network.

Established: 1803

The Antonio Nariño University (UAN) is a private, comprehensive university in Colombia that was founded in 1976. By extending higher education coverage and supporting equal opportunities, the UAN is devoted to democratizing knowledge. The institution includes 31 sites around Colombia, with more than 16000 students, 2000 teaching and research professionals, and 85000 alumni.

In terms of international scientific production and research rankings, the UAN ranks among top ten best universities in Colombia. The UAN is now ranked 7 among Colombian private HEIs based on the number of publications in Scopus. In addition, according to the Scimago Group's assessment, UAN was the country's third-leading institution in 2014, with the highest normalized effect, based on the number of references from other important publications.

In Colombia, the UAN has been and continues to be a leader in the development of teaching and research programs in a variety of fields, including sciences, engineering, technology, education, and the arts, that are in line with the needs of a changing world while also being tailored to the specific context of Colombian society. The UAN, for example, continues to be the only institution in the country to offer majors like Psychosocial Therapies and Biochemistry.

The UAN is the first Colombian institution to participate in the American Council on Education's Internationalization Laboratory, demonstrating its commitment to internationalization. The UAN has more than 90 current bilateral and multilateral international agreements with Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania that foster academic and scientific cooperation as well as student and faculty exchange.

Established: November 4, 1904

Location: Pasto, Nariño, Colombia

The Pontifical Javierian University was founded in 1623 as a private higher education school. It is one of Colombia's oldest, most traditional, most famous institutions, having main facilities in Bogotá and a second campus in Cali, and is run by the Society of Jesus. The Colombian elite have always been educated at "La Javeriana," as it is called among its students. It is one of the 33 universities in Latin America committed to the Society of Jesus, and one of 167 worldwide.

The multifaceted aspect of the Javeriana University in Bogotá is due to its 18 schools, 61 departments, and 242 academic programs catering to various fields of expertise. It covers 445 acres and features 45 structures (1.80 km2). Cali's Javeriana University has 18 schools divided into four colleges. It's in the city of Pance, Colombia. Its Law School just achieved high-quality certification from the Ministry of National Education, which issued Resolution 6808 on August 6, 2010. The Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (BVC), Temple University's Fox School of Business, and others have sectional divisions on the Cali campus. The Pontifical Javierian University is one of Colombia's twelve institutions with a high-quality institutional accreditation, which was granted to it by Resolution 1320 of the Ministry of National Education on June 12, 2003, for an eight-year period.

The institution boasts 21 undergraduate programs with high-quality accreditation and eight more in the process of becoming accredited. The Qualified Registries are used to recognize excellence in graduate programs. There are 87 graduate programs with Qualified Registries at the university, and another 29 have been proposed for these processes. Javeriana is placed 401 to 500 internationally and 1 in the country in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Established: 1623

The University of Valle, usually known as Univalle, is a Colombian public departmental, coeducational, research university centered principally in Cali, Valle del Cauca. With almost 30,000 students, it is the largest higher education institution in the southwest of the country and the third largest in Colombia. The Industrial University of Valle del Cauca was formed by Departmental Assembly Ordinance No. 12 of 1945, under the leadership of Tulio Ramrez Rojas and Severo Reyes Gamboa.

Cali is home to two campuses of the institution. The major one, Melendez University City, is located in Melendez's southern district and houses the colleges of Engineering, Humanities, Integrated Arts, Sciences, and Social Sciences and Economics, as well as the institutes of Education and Pedagogy and Psychology. The Administration Sciences and Health faculties are housed in the second building, which is located in the heart of the San Fernando district. The university also has satellite campuses in the cities of Buenaventura, Buga, Caicedonia, Cartago, Palmira, Tuluá, Yumbo, and Zarzal in the department, as well as one in the neighboring Cauca department in the city of Santander de Quilichao. With 258 academic programs, including 65 master's and medical specializations, and 8 doctorates, the institution provides instruction at the technological, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels. It also houses a research excellence center, six research centers, three research institutes, and 204 research groups.

The Association of Colombian Universities (ASCUN), the Iberoamerican Association of Postgraduate Universities (AUIP), and the Iberoamerican University Network Universia are only a few of the university's affiliations. The universities of Valle, National, and Antioquia make up Colombia's Golden Triangle of higher education, and are among the country's most selective and competitive institutions. It is one of 15 institutions in the country to acquire high-quality institutional certification from the Ministry of Education, as part of Resolution 2020 from June 3, 2005. The certification was for an eight-year period, making the university one of only a few to receive such a long period of accreditation. The university is regarded as one of the best in the country, with a reputation for excellence in its health and engineering departments.

The Industrial University of Santander, or UIS in Spanish, is a public university with a coeducational and research-oriented approach. The university's main campus is in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia, and it serves the Santander Department. The institution also has satellite campuses at Barrancabermeja, Barbosa, Málaga, Piedecuesta, and Socorro, which are located throughout the department.

The Industrial University of Santander is Colombia's largest higher education school and is considered as one of the country's top multidisciplinary research institutions in terms of student population, research groups, academic output, technological advancement, and publications. UIS is one of Colombia's most prestigious universities, and it has been named the best university in the country's north area. The Departmental Assembly passed Ordinance No. 83 on June 22, 1944, establishing the institution, which commenced operations in March 1948. With 124 academic programs, including 21 master's, 9 medical residency programs, and 6 doctorates, the university offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Established: 1948
Location: Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia