University of Buenos Aires
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Argentina's tuition-free public university: 330,000+ students, open entry through the CBC, QS top 100.
- Students
- 330,000
- Tuition
- Free
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1821
- QS World Ranking
- #84
- 2027 edition
About UBA
The Universidad de Buenos Aires was founded on 12 August 1821 and is Argentina's largest and best-known university, with more than 330,000 students, over 23,000 teaching staff and 13 faculties. It has no single campus: its faculties are spread across Buenos Aires, from the neoclassical Faculty of Law in Recoleta and the Faculty of Medicine to the Ciudad Universitaria complex in Núñez, which houses Exact and Natural Sciences and Architecture, Design and Urbanism.
Undergraduate study is free (no fees to enrol, attend or sit exams) and entry is open: every degree begins with the Ciclo Básico Común (CBC), a common first year of six four-month subjects (two tied to your area, two specific to your degree and two common to all students), taken in person or at a distance through UBA XXI. There is no admission exam; you progress into your faculty by passing the CBC. Teaching is in Spanish.
UBA says 17 Argentine presidents graduated from it and five Nobel laureates were part of the university, and it offers more than 110 undergraduate degrees and 550+ graduate programs. It suits independent, self-motivated students who are comfortable with large classes, a big-city commute between buildings, and a strongly engaged student culture shaped by UBA's tradition of autonomy and co-governance.
Argentum virtus robur et studium
“Argentine virtue is strength and study” — university motto
Why students choose UBA
Undergraduate degrees are tuition-free for everyone: there is no charge to enrol, attend classes or take exams.
There is no entrance exam; the Ciclo Básico Común lets anyone with a completed secondary diploma start a degree and earn their place by passing six subjects.
UBA is 84th in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and 24th in the world for graduate employment outcomes.
UBA counts five Nobel laureates among its community, including alumni Bernardo Houssay, Luis Federico Leloir and César Milstein, and 17 Argentine presidents among its graduates.
Admissions
Entry via the CBC (Ciclo Básico Común), 2027 academic year
Selectivity
Open admission: there is no entrance exam for Argentine or foreign applicants. Everyone with a completed secondary-school diploma enrols in the CBC, the compulsory first year of all degrees, and continues to their faculty after passing its six subjects. Selectivity happens through the CBC coursework itself.
Typical entry requirements
| Secondary school diploma | Completed secondary education (título secundario); a certificate that the diploma is in process is accepted at enrolment, but documents must be legalised before finishing the CBC |
|---|---|
| Foreign diplomas from non-Spanish-speaking countries | Spanish at C1 level via SIELE Global C1 or the UBA Faculty of Philosophy and Letters advanced Spanish certificate |
| CBC (Ciclo Básico Común) | Six four-month subjects (two by area, two degree-specific, two common); up to three per term; Architecture adds an annual drawing workshop |
Deadlines
- CBC pre-registration for first-time applicants (2026 cycle) Non-binding Passed28 November 2025 (window 14-28 November 2025)
Preinscripción for anyone who has never enrolled at UBA, for in-person CBC or online UBA XXI. 2026-cycle dates (UBA had not announced the 2027 dates as of 28 September 2026).
- CBC and UBA XXI inscription, first term (2026 cycle) Non-binding Passed18 February 2026 (window 2-18 February 2026)
Completion of pre-entry, new applicants and re-registration via cbc.uba.ar and ubaxxi.uba.ar; career changes closed 13 February. 2026-cycle dates (UBA had not announced the 2027 dates as of 28 September 2026).
- Last-call inscription, first term (2026 cycle) Non-binding Passed11 March 2026 (window 6-11 March 2026)
Final online window through TAD UBA for applicants who had never enrolled. 2026-cycle dates (UBA had not announced the 2027 dates as of 28 September 2026).
- Mid-year entry, second term (2026 cycle) Non-binding Passed13 July 2026 (window 26 June-13 July 2026)
Inscription to start the CBC in the second four-month term of 2026.
UBA has not yet published the inscription calendar for 2027 entry. For 2026 entry, pre-registration ran 14-28 November 2025, main CBC/UBA XXI inscription 2-18 February 2026, a last call 6-11 March 2026, and a mid-year intake 26 June-13 July 2026. Expect the 2027 calendar on uba.ar news and cbc.uba.ar; an Argentine DNI is needed to complete inscription.
How to apply
Four steps: (1) complete Pre-ingreso on the UBA inscription platform (with DNI and name); (2) present your documents in person at a CBC site (valid Argentine DNI, inscription certificate and secondary diploma or proof it is in process); (3) choose your CBC site and shift on the CBC website; (4) enrol in subjects, in person (CBC) or online (UBA XXI). Foreign applicants apply the same way through the CBC.
What admissions looks for
- A completed secondary-school diploma, legalised before you finish the CBC.
- For holders of diplomas from non-Spanish-speaking countries, certified C1-level Spanish.
- Passing the six CBC subjects, which is how students earn progression into their faculty.
Tips for applying to UBA
- 1 Use the Pre-ingreso platform early: it routes first-time CBC students into the inscription process for both in-person CBC and online UBA XXI.
- 2 If your schooling was not in Spanish, arrange SIELE Global C1 or the UBA advanced Spanish certificate before you apply.
- 3 Consider taking some CBC subjects through UBA XXI (online) to spread the workload; you can take up to three subjects per four-month term.
- 4 Talk to UBA's vocational guidance service (DOE/DOV), which offers online chats with counsellors, before choosing your degree.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in ARS
Undergraduate study is free. UBA also offers economic-support scholarships (becas de grado) for students who cannot afford study materials. Graduate programs charge fees set by each faculty.
- Free
- Undergraduate tuition
- Fees set by each faculty
- Graduate programs
Academics
Academic calendar: Four-month terms (cuatrimestres)
Medicine (Facultad de Ciencias Médicas)
Alma mater of Nobel laureates Bernardo Houssay and Luis Federico Leloir, with UBA's network of five public teaching hospitals.
Law (Facultad de Derecho)
Housed in the landmark Recoleta building; alumni include Nobel Peace laureate Carlos Saavedra Lamas and ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo.
Exact and Natural Sciences
Where César Milstein earned his degree; alumni include mathematicians Alberto Calderón and Luis Caffarelli.
Architecture, Design and Urbanism
At Ciudad Universitaria, with an annual drawing workshop added to the CBC; alumni include brutalist pioneer Clorindo Testa.
Economics (Ciencias Económicas)
Home of the Primer tramo del Ciclo General; alumni include economist Raúl Prebisch.
Research
- The university runs five public hospitals and a veterinary teaching hospital.
- UBA's research institutes, subsidies and technology-transfer programs (UBATEC, PIUBA) are coordinated by its science and technology secretariat.
Schools & faculties
- Facultad de Agronomía
- Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo
- Facultad de Ciencias Económicas
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
- Facultad de Ciencias Sociales
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias
- Facultad de Derecho
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica
- Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
- Facultad de Ingeniería
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas
- Facultad de Odontología
UBA ranks 24th in the world for Employment Outcomes in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (UBA news release).
Student life
UBA has no residential campus or dorms: students live across Buenos Aires and travel to CBC sites and faculty buildings in different neighbourhoods. UBA is co-governed with student participation, and the university runs sports programs, language centres teaching more than 20 languages, the Centro Cultural Rojas and the Cine Cosmos. Classes are large, especially in the CBC, so independence and time management matter.
- Language centres (CUI, CLE and the Philosophy and Letters language lab) teaching more than 20 languages.
- Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas and Cine Cosmos-UBA cultural venues.
- UBA sports and e-sports programs.
- Six UBA-run secondary schools.
Housing. UBA does not provide student housing; students rent or live with family in Buenos Aires.
Location
Buenos Aires is a vast, cosmopolitan capital known for its cafés, theatres, bookshops, nightlife and football. UBA's buildings are spread across the city, from Recoleta and Balvanera to Ciudad Universitaria in Núñez by the Río de la Plata, all reachable by subway, bus and train. Living costs are low by international standards but Argentina's inflation makes budgeting unpredictable.
Nearest airport: Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Ezeiza (EZE)
Notable alumni
- BH Bernardo HoussayNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1947
- LF Luis Federico LeloirNobel Prize in Chemistry 1970
- CM César MilsteinNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1984 for monoclonal antibodies
- CS Carlos Saavedra LamasNobel Peace Prize 1936; jurist
- CG Cecilia GriersonFirst woman to receive a medical degree in Argentina
- LM Luis Moreno OcampoFirst Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
- JC Julio CortázarNovelist, a founder of the Latin American Boom
- AC Alberto CalderónMathematician, co-creator of the Chicago school of analysis
Frequently asked questions
Is the University of Buenos Aires free?
Yes. UBA undergraduate degrees are not charged: there is no fee to enrol, attend classes or take exams. Graduate programs charge fees set by each faculty.
What is the CBC at UBA?
The Ciclo Básico Común is the compulsory first year of every UBA degree, made up of six four-month subjects. You can take it in person or online through UBA XXI, and passing it gives you access to your faculty.
Is there an entrance exam for UBA?
No. Argentine and foreign applicants do not sit an admission exam; they enrol in the CBC with a completed secondary diploma.
Can international students study at UBA, and in what language?
Yes, through the same CBC route. Teaching is in Spanish, and applicants whose diploma comes from a non-Spanish-speaking country must certify C1-level Spanish (SIELE Global C1 or UBA's advanced Spanish certificate).
What is UBA's QS ranking?
UBA is 84th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, the only Argentine and Latin American university in the top 100.
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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