National University of La Plata
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
A tuition-free, open-access public university of 17 faculties and about 123,000 students in Argentina's planned city of La Plata.
- Students
- 122,953
- 122,953 undergraduates
- International
- 10%
- of students
- Tuition
- Free
- 2027
- Founded
- 1897
About UNLP
UNLP began on 18 April 1897 as the provincial University of La Plata, with Dardo Rocha, the founder of the city, as its first rector, and was nationalised in 1905 under education minister Joaquín V. González, who folded in the La Plata Museum, the Astronomical Observatory and other institutions. It is a public university that is tuition-free and has no admission quotas: in 2025 it had 122,953 undergraduate students, 30,144 of them new entrants, and 7,250 graduates.
Teaching is organised into 17 faculties, from Architecture and Urbanism, Arts, and Law and Social Sciences to Medical Sciences, Engineering, Informatics, Exact Sciences, Natural Sciences and Museum, and Astronomical and Geophysical Sciences, offering about 180 undergraduate and pre-degree programmes. UNLP also runs secondary schools, a public library, a radio and television station, a publishing house (EDULP) and the Museo de La Plata.
There is no entrance exam at university level; instead you register for one programme and complete that faculty's ingreso (introductory) course. About 10% of students are foreign nationals, and 8,383 came from abroad specifically to study, most of them in Medical Sciences. UNLP suits self-motivated students who can study in Spanish and want a free, large public university with deep scientific traditions.
Pro scientia et patria
“For science and homeland” — university motto
Why students choose UNLP
Undergraduate study is free and open: UNLP describes itself as public, tuition-free and without quotas.
It houses the Museo de La Plata and the Astronomical Observatory, the basis of its faculties of Natural Sciences and Museum and of Astronomical and Geophysical Sciences.
About 180 programmes across 17 faculties, from medicine and engineering to journalism, fine arts and veterinary science.
A large international community: 12,688 foreign-national students in 2025, 10% of the total.
Admissions
Entry in the 2027 academic year
Selectivity
UNLP has no quotas and no university-wide entrance exam. In 2025 it had 30,144 new entrants. Each faculty runs its own ingreso course or introductory subject that new students must take, for example Mathematics PI in Engineering.
Typical entry requirements
| Argentine secondary school (título secundario) | Completed secondary education; final-year students may register provisionally but must have no pending subjects by 30 June 2027 |
|---|---|
| Secondary school completed abroad | Full transcript of all secondary years, legalised by the education authority and Argentine consulate or apostilled, with an official translation if not in Spanish; validation (convalidación) by Argentina's Ministry of Education by 3 March 2028 |
| Spanish proficiency (non-native speakers) | CELU (Certificado de Español Lengua y Uso) or UNLP's CertEA at the level set by each faculty, presented at registration |
Deadlines
- UNLP registration for 2027 entry Non-binding Next deadline · In ~2 months11 December 2026
Registration opens 9 November 2026 (Resolution 964-26), via each faculty's website.
- Proof of completed secondary school Non-binding In ~9 months12 July 2027
Applicants must owe no secondary subjects by 30 June 2027.
- Vaccination certificate Non-binding In ~11 months27 August 2027
Hepatitis B, double or triple bacterial and MMR vaccines.
Dates are from UNLP's announcement of the 2027 registration period. Faculty ingreso courses have their own schedules, often starting in early 2027 or earlier for early-modality options.
How to apply
Register online through the web form of the faculty you want (one programme only, as a sworn declaration; registering at another national university for 2027 disqualifies you). Upload your ID or passport and secondary certificate, then present originals in person at the faculty. Foreign students then apply for a student visa with UNLP's help and complete residency paperwork.
What admissions looks for
- A completed secondary school qualification, recognised in Argentina if earned abroad.
- Adequate Spanish for non-native speakers, certified by CELU or CertEA at the level each faculty sets.
- Completion of your faculty's ingreso course or introductory subject.
Tips for applying to UNLP
- 1 You can register for only one programme at one national university for 2027, so decide before 11 December 2026.
- 2 If you studied abroad, start the apostille and official translation of your transcript early; validation by the Ministry of Education is due by 3 March 2028.
- 3 Non-native Spanish speakers should book the CELU exam well before registration, since the certificate is needed at that moment.
- 4 For engineering, consider taking Matemática PI in the early modality from August so you can start all first-semester subjects in March.
Costs & financial aid
2027 · figures in ARS
Undergraduate study at UNLP is tuition-free for Argentine and foreign students alike, and there are no admission quotas. Students pay only their own living costs in La Plata.
- Free
- Undergraduate tuition
- 30,144
- New entrants, 2025
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (starting in March and August)
Medicine (Facultad de Ciencias Médicas)
The faculty with the largest international intake: 5,560 of UNLP's 8,383 international students; heart surgeon René Favaloro trained here.
Natural Sciences (Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo)
Taught alongside the Museo de La Plata, the natural history museum that became part of UNLP in 1905.
Astronomy and Geophysics
UNLP has its own Faculty of Astronomical and Geophysical Sciences, built on the Astronomical Observatory incorporated in 1905.
Journalism and Social Communication
A dedicated Faculty of Journalism and Social Communication in a university that runs its own radio and TV station.
Engineering and Informatics
Separate faculties of Engineering and Informatics, each with its own ingreso course, such as Engineering's Matemática PI.
Research
- UNLP runs a network of research units and the Museo de La Plata, the natural history museum attached to its Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum.
- The Astronomical Observatory of La Plata has been part of the university since its nationalisation in 1905.
- UNLP researchers publish findings through its science outreach, such as recent DNA work rewriting the history of the South American silverside (pejerrey).
Schools & faculties
- Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo
- Facultad de Artes
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales
- Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas
- Facultad de Ciencias Económicas
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
- Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo
- Facultad de Ingeniería
- Facultad de Informática
- Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Social
Student life
UNLP is woven into the city of La Plata: its faculties are spread across the city, which was planned in the 1880s on a square grid with a central park and diagonal avenues. The university runs its own radio (Radio Universidad) and TV station, a publishing house, a public library, the Museo de La Plata and secondary schools such as the Colegio Nacional Rafael Hernández. With more than 120,000 students and 10% foreign nationals, La Plata has a large, mixed student population.
- Museo de La Plata, the university's natural history museum
- Radio Universidad and TV Universidad
- Editorial de la UNLP (EDULP) publishing house
- Summer and winter schools (Escuela de Verano and Escuela de Invierno)
Housing. UNLP does not advertise university residences on its admissions pages; most students rent or share housing in La Plata.
Location
La Plata is the capital of Buenos Aires Province, a planned city founded by Governor Dardo Rocha in 1882 after the city of Buenos Aires was federalised. It has a square layout with a central park, two main diagonal avenues and numbered streets on a grid, and UNLP's faculties are spread through it. The partido had 772,618 inhabitants in the 2022 census.
Nearest airport: Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Ezeiza (EZE)
Notable alumni
- RF René FavaloroCardiac surgeon who pioneered coronary artery bypass surgery; UNLP School of Medicine
- ES Ernesto SabatoNovelist and essayist; earned a PhD in physics at UNLP
- AP Adolfo Pérez EsquivelHuman rights activist and 1980 Nobel Peace Prize laureate; trained as a painter and sculptor at UNLP
- NK Néstor KirchnerPresident of Argentina (2003-2007); studied law at UNLP
- CF Cristina Fernández de KirchnerPresident of Argentina (2007-2015); studied law at UNLP
- RA Raúl AlfonsínPresident of Argentina (1983-1989); began his law studies at UNLP
Frequently asked questions
Is the National University of La Plata free?
Yes. UNLP is a public, tuition-free university for undergraduate study, and it has no admission quotas, including for foreign applicants.
Is there an entrance exam at UNLP?
There is no university-wide entrance exam. After registering, you complete your faculty's ingreso course or introductory subject, such as Matemática PI for engineering.
When can I register for UNLP in 2027?
Registration for 2027 entry runs from 9 November to 11 December 2026 through the website of the faculty you choose. You may register for only one programme.
Can international students study at UNLP?
Yes. You need an apostilled or legalised secondary transcript with official Spanish translation, a CELU or CertEA Spanish certificate if Spanish is not your first language, and a student visa. About 10% of UNLP students are foreign nationals.
How many students does UNLP have?
UNLP had 122,953 pre-degree and undergraduate students in 2025, including 30,144 new entrants, across 17 faculties.
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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