Catholic University of Uruguay
Universidad Católica del Uruguay "Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga"
Uruguay's Jesuit university, with campuses in Montevideo, Punta del Este and Salto and a merit scholarship exam.
- Students
- 7,542
- Founded
- 1985
- QS World Ranking
- 801-850
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About UCU
The Catholic University of Uruguay (UCU) traces its roots to 1876, when Mariano Soler founded the Liceo de Estudios Universitarios in Montevideo. That institution closed in 1886, and a new line began with the Institute of Philosophy in 1954. The Institute was entrusted to the Jesuits in 1979, government decree 343/984 authorised the university in August 1984, and it opened in 1985. It belongs to the worldwide network of Jesuit universities.
UCU has about 7,500 students and more than 28,000 graduates. Its main campus is a cluster of buildings in the La Blanqueada district of Montevideo, around the 1920s Sacré Cœur building on Avenida 8 de Octubre, and it has regional campuses in Punta del Este and Salto. Teaching is organised in faculties of Psychology and Human Wellbeing; Law and Liberal Arts; Health; Business Sciences; and Engineering and Technologies, plus the UCU Business School and a graduate school. It offers more than 40 undergraduate programmes, with medicine, dentistry, engineering, law, business, communication and film among them.
Programmes are flexible and credit-based, with electives, minors and an annual interdisciplinary Semana UCU, and every graduate must reach B2 English. UCU suits students who want a smaller private university with close teaching, strong ties to Uruguayan employers and exchange options at more than 300 partner universities.
Veritas liberabit vos
“The truth will set you free” — university motto
Why students choose UCU
UCU runs a scholarship exam (Concurso de Becas) several times a year and says it gives more than 400 scholarships of up to 100% to new undergraduates each year.
Nursing holds ARCU-SUR accreditation from the Mercosur regional system, and Dentistry is going through ARCU-SUR re-accreditation.
Exchange is possible at more than 300 partner universities, and double degrees include Industrial Engineering with ICAM in France and Law with the Universidad Católica Argentina.
The Ithaka centre for entrepreneurship and innovation runs workshops, events and credit-bearing courses, and supports student entrepreneurs.
Admissions
Entry in March 2027 (Uruguayan academic year starting March 2027)
Selectivity
UCU does not publish an acceptance rate. Admission is based on completing secondary school (bachillerato) plus an academic interview. Some programmes, such as Medicine, state that places are limited.
Typical entry requirements
| Uruguayan secondary education | Full or partial completion of Enseñanza Secundaria, certified by form 69A (or UTU certification), plus identity card |
|---|---|
| Foreign school-leaving qualification | Certificate from the school stating that you completed secondary education and are eligible for university study, plus a transcript with subjects and grades, apostilled (Hague Convention countries) or legalised |
| International Baccalaureate | Accepted as completed secondary education. IB graduates aged 20 or under get a fee discount: 20% for passing the IB, 25% for 30 or more points, 35% for 38 or more points |
| English language | Teaching is in Spanish, and UCU's exchange fact sheet sets Spanish at B1 (CEFR) for visiting students. No English test is needed for admission, but every undergraduate must reach B2 English (Cambridge First level) to graduate, and UCU offers free courses to get there. |
Deadlines
- Concurso de Becas (scholarship exam) Non-binding Next deadline · Tomorrow7 October 2026
Registration closes 30 September 2026. This sitting covers only Excellence and Good Performance scholarships, not the need-based DAL or CEU awards. You can sit the exam only once per cycle.
- Early enrolment discount Non-binding In 25 days31 October 2026
70% off the first instalment for enrolments completed by this date, for classes starting in March 2027.
- Concurso de Becas (scholarship exam) Non-binding In 57 days2 December 2026
Includes the need-based Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga and Episcopal Conference (CEU) scholarships.
- Concurso de Becas (scholarship exam) Non-binding In ~4 months4 February 2027
Last scholarship sitting before March 2027 entry.
UCU does not publish a single closing date for March 2027 enrolment. The dates above are the scholarship exam sittings and the early enrolment discount. In 2026 the first semester started on 9 March, and the 2027 calendar has not yet been published.
How to apply
Three steps: (1) check the fee information and book an academic interview through the UCU admissions portal; (2) submit your secondary school certificate and ID, or apostilled or legalised foreign school documents; (3) sign the contract and pay the first monthly instalment to reserve your place. The first instalment is not refunded if you cancel.
What admissions looks for
- Completed secondary education that qualifies you for university study, documented with official certificates.
- An academic interview with the admissions team before enrolment.
- For scholarships: performance in the Concurso de Becas exam, which covers skills common to all fields rather than subject knowledge.
- For need-based DAL scholarships: family income under set limits and an interview with the Scholarships Office.
Tips for applying to UCU
- 1 Sit the Concurso de Becas: scholarships cover up to 100% of fees for your whole degree, but you can sit only one exam date and must be 20 or under on 1 March 2027.
- 2 Enrol by 31 October 2026 to get 70% off your first instalment for March 2027 entry.
- 3 If you studied abroad, get your school certificate and transcript apostilled or legalised early, because UCU will not process them otherwise.
- 4 IB graduates should submit their results: 30 or more points earns a 25% discount and 38 or more points a 35% discount on the monthly fee.
Costs & financial aid
2027 · figures in UYU
Fees are paid in equal monthly instalments, and UCU publishes the amounts only in its admissions portal. Scholarships awarded through the Concurso de Becas cover 30% to 100% of fees for the whole degree: Excellence (100% or 80%), need-based Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga (100% or 80%) and Episcopal Conference (80% or 50%). Discounts include 20% for strong school grades, 20% to 35% for IB graduates and 10% for students from outside Montevideo, Canelones and San José who are under 19 on 1 January 2027 (Montevideo campus programmes).
- More than 400 a year
- Scholarships for new undergraduates
- 70% off the first instalment until 31 October 2026
- Early enrolment (March 2027 entry)
- 20% off the monthly fee
- Strong school grades (age 20 or under)
- 35% off the monthly fee
- IB Diploma 38 or more points (age 20 or under)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (March to July and August to December)
Medicine (Doctor en Medicina)
A six-year problem-based programme with limited places, a morphofunctional lab, a simulation centre and the university's own health clinic in the new San José building.
Dentistry (Odontología)
UCU says the programme is going through re-accreditation by ARCU-SUR, the Mercosur regional accreditation system.
Industrial Engineering
Offers a double-degree route: after nine semesters you can spend four more at ICAM in France and earn its Master Ingénieur Généraliste as well as the UCU degree.
Law (Abogacía)
Offers a double degree with a sixth year at the Universidad Católica Argentina, qualifying graduates to practise in both countries.
Communication and Film
UCU's communication programme produced Uruguayan filmmakers Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll and Federico Veiroj, and the Ignis centre supports audiovisual production.
Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Engineering
One of UCU's newer engineering degrees, alongside Biomedical, Environmental and Electronic Engineering.
Research
- Three doctoral programmes, in Psychology, Engineering and Communication, with research professors across 12 departments.
- Innovation centres Ithaka (entrepreneurship), Ágora and Ignis (audiovisual and artistic production).
- The Computer Science department takes part in ICT4V, a centre linking Uruguayan universities with local companies.
- UCU runs regional observatories, including the Salto Economic Observatory and observatories on energy, finance and labour relations.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Psychology and Human Wellbeing
- Faculty of Law and Liberal Arts
- Faculty of Health
- Faculty of Business Sciences
- Faculty of Engineering and Technologies
- UCU Business School
- School of Graduate Studies
- Punta del Este Campus
- Salto Campus
UCU reports that its position on QS's employment outcomes indicator rose from 604th to 338th in the 2027 edition. The Centro Practicum runs the careers portal and a yearly Work Life Week, which drew 37 companies in 2025.
Student life
UCU's Montevideo campus is a set of buildings in the La Blanqueada neighbourhood, centred on the 1920s Sacré Cœur building. Welcome week, Mi Primer Día UCU and a Mass at the start of classes open the academic year, and once a year every student takes part in the interdisciplinary Semana UCU. The university sports club, choir and arts workshops run alongside classes. UCU hosted 313 exchange students in 2024. Students can also join the Ithaka centre's entrepreneurship workshops, courses and events, or take part in Stanford's University Innovation Fellows programme.
- Semana UCU: a week each year when students from every programme work on interdisciplinary challenges.
- Exchange at more than 300 partner universities, where students can defer their monthly fees until the end of the degree.
- Stanford's University Innovation Fellows programme and summer or winter schools at partners such as Bocconi and Sophia University.
- Free intensive Spanish courses before the semester for incoming international exchange students.
Housing. UCU's 2025 cost-of-living guide for incoming students lists rooms in student residences at UYU 16,000 to 24,000 (about USD 400 to 600) a month and rooms with host families at about UYU 16,000 a month; no university-guaranteed housing is described.
Location
Montevideo is Uruguay's capital, on the Río de la Plata estuary. The main campus is on Avenida 8 de Octubre in the residential La Blanqueada neighbourhood, and a city bus ride cost UYU 60 in 2025 according to UCU's cost-of-living guide. UCU's regional campuses are in Punta del Este, a resort city on the Atlantic coast in Maldonado, and in Salto, in north-western Uruguay.
Nearest airport: Carrasco International Airport (MVD)
Notable alumni
- LL Luis Lacalle PouPresident of Uruguay 2020 to 2025; law degree from UCU (1998)
- ÁB Álvaro BrechnerFilm director, Goya winner for A Twelve-Year Night; graduated in media and communication
- FV Federico VeirojFilm director and screenwriter; studied communications
- JP Juan Pablo RebellaCo-director of the Cannes-selected film Whisky; studied social communication
- PS Pablo StollFilm director and co-director of Whisky; studied social communication
- OP Omar PaganiniUruguay's Minister of Foreign Relations 2023 to 2025; MBA from UCU
- KB Karina BatthyánySociologist, appointed executive secretary of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) in 2019; master's degree from UCU
Frequently asked questions
Does the Catholic University of Uruguay have an entrance exam?
No. Admission requires a completed secondary education certificate and an academic interview. The Concurso de Becas is an optional exam for scholarships of up to 100%.
How much does UCU cost?
UCU charges fees in equal monthly instalments and publishes the amounts only in its admissions portal. Scholarships and discounts (early enrolment, grades, IB, family) can reduce them substantially.
Can international students study at UCU?
Yes. Students who finished school abroad submit an apostilled or legalised school-leaving certificate and transcript. Teaching is in Spanish, and UCU asks visiting students for B1 Spanish.
When does the academic year start at UCU?
In March. The 2026 first semester began on 9 March, and the second semester runs from August to December.
What is UCU's QS ranking?
UCU is in the 801-850 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027. In a news release of 18 June 2026, UCU says that edition makes it the highest-placed private university in Uruguay.
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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