Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS) is a higher education institution in Ecuador and one of the most prestigious universities in Ecuador that has been in operation for 25 years, educating people to be excellent professionals as well as good Christians. The university offers over 30 undergraduate and postgraduate academic programs across three branch campuses in the country's three major cities: Cuenca, Guayaquil, and Quito. Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS) education is recognized by the university community and the job market as one that connects values and professional excellence.

The university is part of a more than 150-year-old educational experience and an active member of the Salesian Institutions of Higher Education (IUS), a global network of universities that support the internationalization of the proposal based on Don Bosco's educational model. Students are the primary protagonists and co-responsible for the university's scientific, educational, and social initiatives. The environment at Universidad Politécnica Salesiana places people at the center of the system, and it aims to instill in students a love of truth and life.

• Website: https://www.ups.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 7-413-5250
• Rankings: #1 in Ecuador - #53 in Latin America - #1173 in the World
• Location: C. Vieja 12-30 y, Cuenca 010105, Ecuador

The Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) is a public university in Guayaquil, Guayas Province, Ecuador. It was established in 1958 by an executive decree issued by Camilo Ponce Enriquez, President of the Republic of Ecuador, to provide the city with a higher education institution specializing in technical and scientific education. The institute was inaugurated the following year, with the first lessons beginning in 1959.

Its first location, due to a lack of a campus, was the old Casona building of the Universidad de Guayaquil. The Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral purchased the buildings in the surrounding areas and, over time, acquired more sites, allowing the university to flourish. The university began to leave its historic founding campus in 1995 and relocate to a new campus on the outskirts of Guayacil. Today, there are three campuses, the most important of which is Campus Gustavo Galindo. The majority of the facilities, administration, and research centers are located here, and it is easily accessible because of its proximity to the Via Perimetral.

Natural sciences and mathematics; social and humanistic sciences; geosciences engineering; maritime engineering, biological science, oceanographic sciences, and natural resources; electrical engineering and computing sciences; mechanical engineering and production sciences; life sciences; and visual design and communication are the eight main faculties operated by ESPOL.

• Website: https://www.espol.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 4-226-9269
• Rankings: #2 in Ecuador- #104 in Latin America - #1840 in the World
• Location: Vía Perimetral 5, Guayaquil, Ecuador

Number three among the most prestigious universities in Ecuador is the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE). It was founded in 1946 by the Jesuit priest Aurelio Espinosa Pólit as the country's first private university. Members of its academic community contribute to the protection and development of human dignity and cultural heritage in a rigorous and critical manner through research, teaching, community connections, and complementary training through the various services offered to local and international communities.

PUCE is a member of the Association of Universities Entrusted to the Society of Jesus in Latin America (AUSJAL), which expands its academic offerings by offering 99 degrees and 48 postgraduate courses across the country. More than 19,000 students from various undergraduate, postgraduate, and open courses make up the university community.

PUCE has its main campus in Quito and branches strategically located in the cities of Ambato, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo, and Ibarra, as well as the provinces of Manab and Sucumbos, with the goal of providing academic excellence throughout the country.

• Website: https://www.puce.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 2-299-1700
• Rankings: #3 in Ecuador - #135 in Latin America - #2270 in the World
• Location: Ave 12 de Octubre 1076, Quito 170143, Ecuador

Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), based in Quito, Ecuador, is the only university in the world with campuses in the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon Rainforest, where world-class scientists conduct groundbreaking research and teaching. Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) offers 51 bachelor's degrees, over 15 master's programs, and a PhD program, all of which are taught primarily in Spanish with a few options in English.

USFQ is truly an international university. Every year, over a thousand international students come to USFQ for a semester abroad or customized programs. With one of the best top study abroad programs in the country, USFQ has nearly 250 general research agreements with international institutions, including 114 student exchange programs with over 24 countries. Their main campus in the Cumbaya valley near Quito is about 25 acres in size and includes a hospital, specialized dentistry clinic, eight restaurants, and Ecuador's largest academic library with 1 million titles. USFQ has the highest employability rate in the country, with over 100 students accepted each year to international traineeships in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.

• Website: https://www.usfq.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 2-297-1700
• Rankings: #4 in Ecuador - #114 in Latin America - #2001 in the World
• Location: Campus Cumbayá, Diego de Robles s/n, Quito 170901, Ecuador

The next university on the list of the most prestigious universities in Ecuador is Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA). It is a private, non-profit university in Quito, Ecuador. Founded in 1994, UDLA has established itself as a university that embraces change with a spirit of innovation and a forward-looking institutional culture that responds to student´s needs and a dynamic global society.

Since its inception, UDLA has grown to become Ecuador's largest self-financed university, with four cutting-edge facilities, an experimental farm, and an ever-increasing presence in research. Today, the university has approximately 17,000 students enrolled in over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs in the following disciplines: health sciences, engineering, architecture and design, business, gastronomy, communication, tourism, psychology, film, and music.

UDLA is Ecuador's only university with institutional accreditation from a regional accrediting agency in the United States, the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). International students who are fluent in Spanish and want to spend a semester in Ecuador can apply for six-month exchange programs at UDLA, as well as the opportunity to apply for full degrees at UDLA from abroad.

• Website: https://www.udla.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 2-398-1000
• Rankings: #5 in Ecuador - #244 in Latin America - #3396 in the World
• Location: De Los Colimes esq, Quito 170513, Ecuador

Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) is an autonomous higher education institution in Loja, Ecuador's cultural capital, founded in 1971. UTLP's broad portfolio of undergraduate and graduate degree programs encourages students to explore, discover, experiment, and create their own knowledge. It is recognized as a leader in distance education and at the forefront of technological advances. With 87 university centers spread across Ecuador and three international centers in New York, Madrid, and Rome, UTLP is a national and international provider of education.

Internships at real companies and student exchange opportunities at international universities are among the ways that Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja hopes to enrich its students' learning journeys and global perspectives. Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja is a member of the 17 Alliances for the Sustainable Development Goals, which work to eliminate poverty, protect the environment, and ensure prosperity for all. The university also has the most UNESCO Chair programs, which aim to foster international connections in order to improve societal quality.

• Website: https://www.utpl.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 7-370-1444
• Rankings: #6 in Ecuador - #199 in Latin America - #2925 in the World
• Location: San Cayetano Alto, C. París, Loja, Ecuador

The University of Cuenca, one of the most prestigious universities in Ecuador, is a public educational institution governed by the principles of humanism, freedom, inclusion and non-discrimination, gender equity, creative and plural thinking, free education up to the third level, accountability, and equal opportunities for teachers, researchers, students, servers, and workers established in the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador and the Organic Law of Higher Education. Commitment, transparency, excellence, loyalty, innovation, and equity are the university's core values.

It is Ecuador's only public educational institution that provides undergraduate courses in all areas of knowledge. The university have 51 undergraduate programs, 30 master's programs, and 1 doctoral program. In addition, it has a language institute and a strong community connection. UCUENCA also provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, sports facilities, study abroad and exchange programs, online courses and distance learning opportunities, as well as administrative services.

• Website: https://www.ucuenca.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 7-405-1000
  
• Rankings: #7 in Ecuador - #192 in Latin America - #2784 in the World
• Location: Av. 12 de Abril &, Cuenca, Ecuador

The Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN) is an Ecuadorian public polytechnic university. EPN, founded in 1869, has long been a reference in the Andean region for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and research. Escuela Politécnica Naciona's mission is to develop conscientious, solidary, and critical academics and professionals in engineering and the sciences who contribute to social well-being. EPN strives to generate and disseminate scientific and technological knowledge in a socially responsible manner, interacting dynamically with other actors in Ecuador and the international community.

Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Exact Sciences (Mathematics, Physics), Systems Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Geology and Petroleum, Chemical Engineering and Agro-Industry, and Administrative Sciences are among the eight faculties at EPN. There is also a School of Technical Studies, a Department of Social Sciences, and a large and active Continuing Education Centre.

• Website: https://www.epn.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 2-297-6300
• Rankings: #8 in Ecuador - #190 in Latin America - #2772 in the World
• Location: Av. Ladrón de Guevara 253, Quito 170517, Ecuador

The Andean Parliament established Simon Bolivar Andean University Ecuador in 1992 as part of the Andean Integration System, with headquarters in Bolivia and Ecuador. Its primary goal is to provide a forum for research and reflection on Latin America, particularly the Andean Region, its history, culture, scientific and technological development, integration process, and the impact that the Andean Region can have on Latin America, South America, and the rest of the world.

The institution conducts research, teaches, and provides services in order to generate and disseminate scientific and technological knowledge. The academic focus of the university is on postgraduate studies, with a wide range of doctoral, master's, and specialized studies available. Currently, the University has the largest offer of postgraduate programs in Ecuador, particularly doctorate programs that are open to international competition and involve extensive international cooperation and exchange programs for teachers and students from the Sub-Andean Region, Latin America, and the Americas from the North and Europe.

• Website: https://www.uasb.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 96 307 7166
  
• Rankings: #9 in Ecuador - #192 in Latin America- #2784 in the World
• Location: Toledo, Quito 170143, Ecuador

The National University of Loja (UNL), an Ecuadorian public higher education institution, was established in 1859. It has a campus in the city of Loja. The National University of Loja has a strong position in the top 10 most prestigious universities in Ecuador. The academic year is divided into two semesters in ULN. The university offers affordable bachelor's programs for less than $1,000 USD per year, and a year of master's studies at UNL typically costs $1,000 USD per year.

Despite the fact that tuition is quite low, students frequently participate in scholarship programs. Prospective students will be relieved to learn that the university also offers online programs. It is one of the largest universities in the world, with over 24,000 students. Foreign nationals may also apply to the university. The UNL teaching staff consists of 999 academic specialists. Besides, UNL has international student exchange programs with partner universities.

• Website: https://www.unl.edu.ec/
• Phone: +593 7-254-7252
• Rankings: #10 in Ecuador - #199 in Latin America - #2925 in the World
• Location: XQ8W+RXG, Av. Pio Jaramillo Alvarado, Loja 110103, Ecuador