Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
Peru's oldest university, founded in 1551, where you sit an entrance exam for one of 20 faculties.
- Tuition
- Free
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1551
- QS World Ranking
- 951-1000
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About San Marcos (UNMSM)
The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) was founded on 12 May 1551 by royal decree of Charles I of Spain, according to Wikipedia, and calls itself the dean of the Americas. It is a public university in Lima, with its University City campus on Avenida Carlos German Amezaga, and the historic Casona de San Marcos in the city centre now used as a cultural centre.
Undergraduate teaching is organised in 20 faculties grouped into five areas: Health Sciences (Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry, Psychology), Engineering (Systems Engineering and Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering), Basic Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences, and Humanities, Legal and Social Sciences. Its Faculty of Systems Engineering (FISI) was in the news in September 2026 for making two new AI mini-supercomputers available to the university community.
Admission is by written entrance exam, offered twice a year, and the 2027-I exam takes place over four days in October 2026 by academic area. Vacancies are set for each degree and are awarded by public competition, with quota exceptions such as top-of-class school graduates, elite athletes and people with disabilities. It suits students who read Spanish, want a large public university in the capital and are prepared for a competitive exam.
Universidad del Perú, Decana de América
“University of Peru, Dean of the Americas” — university motto
Why students choose San Marcos (UNMSM)
It is Peru's oldest university, founded in 1551, with 20 faculties spanning medicine, engineering, the sciences, law and the humanities.
Admission is by a public competition based on written exams, with defined routes for top school graduates, elite athletes and people with disabilities.
The university runs its own pre-university centre (CEPUSM) and a practice exam (simulacro) before each admission exam.
Its historic Casona and Cultural Centre, museums and Natural History Museum sit alongside the modern University City campus.
Admissions
Admission 2027-I (exam in October 2026)
Selectivity
UNMSM publishes no acceptance rate on the pages fetched. Under Article 98 of the Ley Universitaria, vacancies are awarded by public competition after the university sets the number of places, using written or oral tests.
Typical entry requirements
| Completed secondary school | General route: school leavers of regular basic education (EBR) or alternative basic education (EBA); the page lists other modalities including top-two school graduates, elite athletes, people with disabilities, native communities, degree holders and internal or external transfers |
|---|---|
| Identity document | DNI, foreigner's card (carne de extranjeria) or passport; the registration payment slip must match this number |
| Transfer students | At least four semester periods or 72 credits passed at another university, Peruvian or foreign |
Deadlines
- Registration: surnames A to F Non-binding PassedUntil 30 August 2026
- Registration: surnames G to O Non-binding Passed31 August to 13 September 2026
- Registration: surnames P to Z Non-binding Passed14 to 27 September 2026
- Late registration (all letters) Non-binding Next deadline · In 3 days28 September to 9 October 2026
Still open at the time of checking (30 September 2026).
- Admission exam 2027-I Non-binding In 11 days17, 18, 24 and 25 October 2026 (by area)
These are the published dates for Admission 2027-I. The page still contains outdated text from older admission cycles, so check the official regulations for your modality before paying.
How to apply
Buy the admission regulations online (Banco de la Nacion or Pagalo.pe), register the payment and your data on admision.unmsm.edu.pe to receive the regulations, pay the registration fee, and complete registration on the same site to obtain your six-digit applicant code. Registration follows alphabetical order by the initial letter of your first surname.
What admissions looks for
- A high score on the written entrance exam for your academic area, since vacancies are awarded by public competition.
- Eligibility for the modality you apply under, such as the general route or a quota route.
- For transfers, four semesters or 72 credits passed and a valid enrolment record.
Tips for applying to San Marcos (UNMSM)
- 1 Register in your surname-letter window and keep the late-registration period (28 September to 9 October 2026) as a fallback.
- 2 Use the simulacro practice exam or the CEPUSM pre-university centre to practise the exam format.
- 3 Wait about six hours after each payment before starting the next online step, as the site instructs.
- 4 Check the official regulations for the exact fees for your school type: the page lists lower fees for applicants from public schools than from private schools.
- 5 Foreign applicants can use a passport or foreigner's card as ID for payments, but should confirm foreign-school requirements with the admissions office.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in PEN
Free tuition: Ley Universitaria 30220, art. 100.4 (2014 text) gives students the right to free teaching at public universities, guaranteed for one degree programme; the law does not make this depend on nationality but also does not say expressly that it covers foreign students (art. 97 only states that foreign students need no visa for enrolment), and UNMSM's pages fetched do not address it, so for foreign students this is not stated and should be confirmed with the university. (Note: art. 128 of the 2014 text is 'Seguro universitario', not a gratuity article.) The published costs are the application costs: for late registration for Admission 2027-I, S/ 60 for the regulations plus an inscription fee of S/ 350 (public school leavers) or S/ 500 or S/ 800 (private school leavers). The same page also lists S/ 70 for the regulations and S/ 450 (public) or S/ 850 (private) for the general-exam inscription, without a cycle label. A procedure to request exemption from payment exists (PDF on the admissions site), and the university runs the Oficina General de Bienestar Universitario.
- S/ 350 registration plus S/ 60 regulations
- Late registration, 2027-I (public school leavers)
- S/ 500 or S/ 800 registration plus S/ 60 regulations
- Late registration, 2027-I (private school leavers)
- S/ 100
- Practice exam (simulacro) 2027-I
Academics
Academic calendar: Two admission periods a year (I and II); the 2027-I exam is in October 2026.
Human Medicine
Has its own exam day (25 October 2026), separate from the other health degrees.
Systems Engineering and Computer Science (FISI)
In September 2026 FISI made two desktop AI supercomputers available to the university community.
Law and Political Science
One of the traditional humanities faculties at the country's oldest university.
Letters and Human Sciences
The Faculty of Letters, whose graduates include the writers Jose Maria Arguedas and Alfredo Bryce Echenique.
Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering
A single faculty covering earth-science engineering in a mining country.
Public Budget and Public Finance
A degree launched in 2023 within the Faculty of Accounting Sciences.
Research
- UNMSM's research office runs a research information system (SII), a research activity register (RAIS) and a business incubator.
- The university operates a Natural History Museum, the Temple Radicati museum and an Institute Raul Porras Barrenechea.
- In September 2026 the FISI faculty announced two AI mini-supercomputers for community use, funded by the university's research vice-rectorate.
Schools & faculties
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquimica
- Facultad de Medicina
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria
- Facultad de Odontologia
- Facultad de Psicologia
- Facultad de Ingenieria de Sistemas e Informatica
- Facultad de Ingenieria Industrial
- Facultad de Ingenieria Geologica, Minera, Metalurgica y Geografica
- Facultad de Ingenieria Electronica y Electrica
- Facultad de Quimica e Ingenieria Quimica
- Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas
- Facultad de Ciencias Matematicas
- Facultad de Ciencias Fisicas
- Facultad de Ciencias Administrativas
- Facultad de Ciencias Contables
- Facultad de Economia
- Facultad de Letras y Ciencias Humanas
- Facultad de Derecho y Ciencia Politica
- Facultad de Ciencias Sociales
- Facultad de Educacion
Student life
UNMSM's University City campus in Lima has faculties arranged around plazas, a Central Library (Pedro Zulen), a student dining hall, a clinic and a rectorate building with murals. Student life runs through cultural services, a Cultural Centre, museums, courses and workshops, and a university welfare office. The university's older Casona in the city centre hosts cultural events. Students can apply for mobility and cooperation programmes through the cooperation office.
- Central Library named after Pedro Zulen.
- Casona de San Marcos in central Lima, used for cultural activity.
- Welfare office (Oficina General de Bienestar Universitario) and a student dining hall.
- Language centre, CEPUSM pre-university centre and mobility programmes.
Housing. The pages fetched do not describe university housing.
Location
Lima is Peru's capital, on the Pacific coast. The University City campus is on Avenida Carlos German Amezaga in central Lima, close to the city's historic centre, where the university's Casona stands.
Nearest airport: Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM)
Notable alumni
- JM Jose Maria ArguedasNovelist, poet and anthropologist; began studying at San Marcos in 1931 and graduated in literature
- JB Jorge BasadreHistorian; entered San Marcos in 1919 and earned doctorates in humanities (1928) and law (1935)
- AB Alfredo Bryce EcheniqueNovelist (1939 to 2026), best known for A World for Julius; graduated in law and literature at San Marcos
- JA Javier Arias StellaPathologist and former Minister of Public Health, known for the Arias-Stella reaction; studied at San Marcos' science school and Faculty of Medicine
- SA Santiago Antunez de MayoloEngineer and scientist; entered the Mathematical Sciences faculty of San Marcos in 1905
- MA Martin AdanPoet and novelist; studied at San Marcos and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Frequently asked questions
When is the UNMSM admission exam for 2027-I?
The exam is on 17 and 18 October 2026 for Economic and Management Sciences, Humanities and Legal and Social Sciences, Basic Sciences and Engineering, on 24 October 2026 for Health Sciences (except Medicine) and on 25 October 2026 for Human Medicine.
How much does it cost to apply to San Marcos?
For late registration for Admission 2027-I, the regulations cost S/ 60 and the inscription fee is S/ 350 for public-school leavers and S/ 500 or S/ 800 for private-school leavers. Earlier registration windows list slightly different amounts, so check the official regulations.
Is San Marcos free?
UNMSM is a public university. Under Peru's Ley Universitaria 30220 (art. 100.4, 2014 text) students at public universities have the right to free teaching, guaranteed for one degree programme; there is no tuition schedule on the UNMSM pages checked. The law does not expressly say whether foreign students are covered and UNMSM does not address it, so foreign applicants should confirm with the university. Application fees (regulations and inscription) are not free.
Can foreigners apply to San Marcos?
The registration and payment steps accept a passport or foreigner's card as ID, and the Ley Universitaria (art. 97) says foreign students need no visa for enrolment (to be regularised before the following semester). The pages fetched do not describe a separate foreign-student route or extra requirements, so confirm with the admissions office.
Is teaching at UNMSM in English?
The admissions materials are in Spanish and no English-language track is listed on the pages fetched.
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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