Universidad de Cartagena

Key Highlights

• SNIES institution code 1205 is classified as an accredited, official university.
• The institution was created in 1827 and began operating in the San Agustín convent in 1828.
• Academic activity is distributed across multiple Cartagena campuses and regional tutorial centers.

Student Life & Environment

Student support is coordinated through the university’s wellbeing structure and is available across its Cartagena campuses. The official wellbeing site identifies accompaniment services for prioritized populations, socioeconomic support, health support, postgraduate students, and food assistance. These are support channels rather than automatic entitlements; eligibility, documentation, funding, and availability should be checked directly with the relevant office. The university also reports cultural, sporting, physical-health, and mental-health activity through Bienestar Universitario. This gives students routes into organized activities and support beyond their degree, although the available schedule may vary by campus and semester. Because programs are spread across several sites, day-to-day student life is likely to depend heavily on the assigned campus and faculty rather than on one consolidated residential campus. No current official evidence reviewed for this profile established university-operated student residences or a guaranteed housing program. Prospective students should therefore treat accommodation as an independent planning task unless their faculty confirms otherwise. Students considering a regional tutorial center should likewise verify which wellbeing services are delivered locally and which require contact with a Cartagena office.

Location & Surroundings

Universidad de Cartagena is embedded across Cartagena de Indias rather than concentrated at one site. The principal San Agustín address is in the historic center on Calle de la Universidad, and the university also uses the nearby Claustro de La Merced. Other academic sites include Piedra de Bolívar, Zaragocilla, and San Pablo. This dispersed arrangement places some students in heritage buildings in central Cartagena and others in campuses associated with particular academic or health-related functions. Applicants should confirm the precise campus before choosing housing or estimating travel. A location described simply as “Cartagena” may still involve a materially different daily journey depending on the faculty. Regional distance programs may operate through tutorial centers outside the city, including locations in Bolívar and Córdoba, so those offerings should not be treated as equivalent to attendance at a Cartagena campus. The reviewed official sources did not provide a current university estimate for housing, transportation, or general living expenses. Students should compare private accommodation and commuting costs for the campus assigned to their program.

Costs & Career Outcomes

No single current tuition figure can responsibly represent Universidad de Cartagena’s entire portfolio. Charges differ by level, program, and student circumstances, and no verified 2026 university-wide schedule of tuition and living costs was located for this profile. Applicants should obtain a current individual assessment or program quotation before committing, particularly for postgraduate study. Accommodation, transport, food, materials, and administrative charges also require separate budgeting. Eligible students in public undergraduate programs may receive Colombia’s Puedo Estudiar tuition-gratuity benefit. The Ministry of Education’s page, updated in August 2026, says the policy pays ordinary net tuition for eligible students enrolled in public undergraduate programs. Applicants must be admitted and enrolled and must satisfy the policy’s eligibility conditions. The benefit does not automatically cover inter-semester courses, extraordinary or late charges, administrative costs, or other pecuniary rights. International applicants should not assume eligibility solely from admission; they must meet the policy’s documented conditions. Career preparation varies substantially by discipline. The university connects teaching and research with laboratories, institutes, clinics, consultancies, observatories, and extension services, which may provide applied academic settings. However, the reviewed sources did not establish guaranteed internships, placement rates, employer outcomes, or graduate salaries. Prospective students should ask the relevant program about required practice, professional licensing implications, employer partnerships, and recent graduate destinations.