Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
A Jesuit university in central Bogotá, first founded in 1623, that admits students with interviews and program-specific criteria.
- Students
- 22,048
- 17,815 undergraduates
- Tuition
- COP 15.2M
- From · 2026
- Founded
- 1623
- QS World Ranking
- #395
- 2027 edition
About Javeriana
The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana is a Catholic university founded and run by the Society of Jesus. It traces its origins to 13 June 1623, when the Jesuits in Santa Fe de Bogotá began awarding degrees as the Universidad y Academia de San Francisco Javier; it closed when the Jesuits were expelled in 1767 and was refounded in 1930. The main campus (Sede Central) sits on Carrera Séptima in central Bogotá, and there is a second branch in Cali.
In Bogotá, Javeriana has 18 faculties and 48 undergraduate programmes, from medicine, law and engineering to music, theology and visual arts. It enrolled 17,815 undergraduates and 4,215 postgraduates in the second semester of 2025, with 1,210 permanent and 2,196 part-time professors. The university holds Colombia's institutional high-quality accreditation, and 36 of its 37 accreditable undergraduate programmes in Bogotá are accredited.
Admission is decided programme by programme on three criteria, attitude, ability and knowledge, using Saber 11 results or an accepted foreign exam, school grades, interviews and, for some programmes, tests. It suits students who want a rigorous, values-driven education in the heart of Colombia's capital, with close links to the San Ignacio university hospital for health students.
Sapientia aedificavit sibi domum
“Wisdom has built a home for itself” — university motto
Why students choose Javeriana
Health students train with Javeriana's university hospital, the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, and neuroscientist Rodolfo Llinás is among its medical graduates.
Admission uses interviews and programme-specific criteria rather than a single test score, so motivation and aptitude count alongside grades.
Every student must reach a foreign-language level, generally B2, and the Department of Languages teaches eight foreign languages.
Eleven Beca Bachiller Destacado scholarships covering 80% of tuition are awarded each semester to outstanding admitted students.
Admissions
Entry in the first semester of 2027 (2027-1)
Selectivity
Javeriana does not publish an overall acceptance rate. Each programme sets its own selection process based on attitude, ability and/or knowledge; Medicine, for example, pre-selects by school grades, an international exam, the pre-medical course or a Saber 11 score above 375, then decides on group interviews.
Typical entry requirements
| Colombian bachillerato + Saber 11 | Programme-specific; Medicine pre-selects candidates with a Saber 11 score above 375 |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary diploma | Apply as a foreign student; after admission, provide an apostilled diploma, recognition (convalidación) by Colombia's Ministry of Education (not required for Spanish bachillerato), an accepted foreign exam result, a student visa and global health insurance |
| English language | Teaching is in Spanish. Javeriana does not publish an English entry score; instead, students must meet a foreign-language requirement before graduating, generally B2, via a placement test, Javeriana language courses or accepted certificates (e.g. IB, Abitur, Matura, a US high school diploma). |
Deadlines
- Medicine, first application deadline (2027-1) Non-binding Passed10 July 2026
Interviews of pre-selected candidates 29 to 31 July 2026.
- Medicine, second application deadline (2027-1) Non-binding Passed28 August 2026
Opened depending on the number of places left.
- Medicine, third application deadline (2027-1) Non-binding Passed30 September 2026
Opened depending on the number of places left.
- 2026 tuition price guarantee for 2027 entrants Non-binding Passed1 October 2026
Programme pages tell 2027 applicants to take advantage of the published (2026) fee until this date; after it, the semester fee set for 2027 applies.
Deadlines are set per programme and shown on each programme page; the Medicine dates above are for entry in the first semester of 2027. Other programmes, such as Economics, open further application dates as long as places remain.
How to apply
Register online in Javeriana's Acceso self-service portal from the programme page, choose the programme and start period, pay the application fee (137,000 COP in 2026), enter your school, choose the evaluation criterion your programme allows (Saber 11 or school transcripts) and upload documents; book an interview if your programme requires one. Applicants with foreign schooling, including Colombians who graduated abroad, apply in the foreign-student category.
What admissions looks for
- Attitude, ability and knowledge: the three criteria Javeriana uses to evaluate every applicant.
- For knowledge, strong Saber 11 results or an accepted foreign exam, plus good school grades in the areas relevant to the programme.
- In Medicine, self-awareness, social sensitivity and professional interest (50% attitude) and problem-solving and handling frustration (50% ability), assessed in group interviews.
- For Medicine, a strong interest in the biological and human sciences and knowledge of Colombia's national reality.
Tips for applying to Javeriana
- 1 Check your programme page for its own deadlines: Medicine had three rounds for 2027-1, with later rounds opening only if places remain.
- 2 Programme pages say 2027 applicants can benefit from the current (2026) fee until 1 October 2026, after which 2027 fees apply, so ask the admissions office early how to secure it.
- 3 If you studied abroad, register in the foreign-student category and start the apostille and Ministry of Education recognition of your diploma early.
- 4 If you took the SAT, send your scores with Javeriana's College Board code 6814.
- 5 Admitted students can compete for one of 11 Beca Bachiller Destacado scholarships (80% of tuition) each semester.
Costs & financial aid
2026 · figures in COP
Javeriana offers merit scholarships such as 11 Beca Bachiller Destacado awards each semester (80% of tuition) and one 80% scholarship per year for a top graduate of each Jesuit school in Colombia (ACODESI). Financing includes paying each semester in up to six monthly instalments, the university's Fondo Fest Atenea credit (up to 60% of tuition, repaid after graduation), ICETEX loans (up to 100%), and partners such as Educación Estrella and LUMNI (up to 85% of the programme).
- 11 scholarships each semester, 80% of tuition
- Beca Bachiller Destacado
- 137,000 COP
- Application fee (2026)
- Up to 60% of tuition, capital repaid after graduation
- Fondo Fest Atenea credit
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Medicine
A 12-semester programme with pre-selection and group interviews; its graduates include neuroscientist Rodolfo Llinás.
Law
A 10-semester programme whose graduates include President Misael Pastrana and Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez.
Economics
An 8-semester degree with business and innovation-and-entrepreneurship tracks; President Ernesto Samper studied economics here.
Architecture
A 10-semester programme in the Faculty of Architecture and Design, among Javeriana's most expensive at 20,220,000 COP a semester.
Data Science
An 8-semester degree in the Faculty of Sciences, costing 15,386,000 COP a semester for 2026 entrants.
Industrial Engineering
One of eight 8-semester engineering degrees, alongside Bioengineering, Mechatronics and Systems Engineering.
Research
- The Bogotá campus has 108 research groups recognised by Colombia's science ministry (2024 call), 52 of them in the top A1 category.
- Health programmes work with the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio (HUSI), the university's teaching hospital.
- 36 of 37 accreditable undergraduate programmes in Bogotá hold high-quality accreditation.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Architecture and Design
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Sciences
- Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences
- Faculty of Legal Sciences
- Faculty of Political Science and International Relations
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Faculty of Communication and Language
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Psychology
Student life
Javeriana's 18-hectare Bogotá campus on Carrera Séptima has 43 buildings, mixing older ones with modern ones such as the Faculty of Arts' Gerardo Arango building. It is a large Spanish-speaking community of about 22,000 students, with a strong Jesuit identity expressed through social commitment and service. Students can take courses in eight foreign languages, play on the university's sports grounds, and listen to Javeriana Estéreo, the university radio station.
- An 18-hectare campus in central Bogotá with 43 buildings and 76,874 square metres of green space.
- Jesuit identity, with a focus on social commitment, justice and reconciliation.
- Language courses in German, Chinese, Korean, French, English, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese.
- Javeriana Estéreo, the university radio station.
Location
Javeriana sits on Carrera Séptima, one of the main avenues of central Bogotá, Colombia's capital and largest city, high in the Andes. Studying here puts students in the country's political, business and cultural centre, a short trip from El Dorado International Airport. The university also runs a second branch in Cali, in south-western Colombia, with its own programmes and campus.
Nearest airport: El Dorado International Airport (BOG)
Notable alumni
- ES Ernesto SamperPresident of Colombia (1994-1998); economics and law graduate
- MP Misael Pastrana BorreroPresident of Colombia (1970-1974); studied law
- RL Rodolfo LlinásNeuroscientist and New York University professor; medical degree (1959)
- ML Marta Lucía RamírezVice President of Colombia (2018-2022); law graduate
- LC Luis Carlos GalánLiberal politician and presidential candidate; studied law and economics
- IM Ignacio Martín-BaróJesuit social psychologist; bachelor's and licentiate in philosophy
Frequently asked questions
How much does Javeriana cost per year?
For students admitted from 2026 on the Bogotá campus, tuition runs from 7,624,000 to 37,322,000 COP a semester, or about 15.2 million to 74.6 million COP a year. Engineering is 19,235,000 COP a semester and Medicine 37,322,000 COP.
Does Javeriana accept the SAT or IB instead of Saber 11?
Yes. Where a programme uses Saber 11, Javeriana accepts foreign exams including the SAT (code 6814), ACT, IB, Abitur, French Baccalauréat, Swiss Matura and Cambridge International.
Does Javeriana have interviews?
Some programmes do. Medicine, for example, invites pre-selected candidates to group interviews that count for all of the final admission decision (50% attitude, 50% ability).
When is the Javeriana application deadline for 2027?
Each programme sets its own dates. For Medicine starting in 2027-1 the deadlines were 10 July, 28 August and 30 September 2026, with later rounds opened only if places remain.
Does Javeriana offer scholarships?
Yes. It awards 11 Beca Bachiller Destacado scholarships worth 80% of tuition each semester, and offers instalment plans, its own Fondo Fest Atenea credit and ICETEX loans.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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