Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa

About Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa

UNSA is an established public university whose institutional history dates to its installation on 11 November 1828 as the Universidad Nacional del Gran Padre San Agustín del Departamento de Arequipa. Its present official name is Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa. SUNEDU includes it in Peru's register of licensed universities and identifies it as a public institution, providing authoritative confirmation of both its legal status and continued operation. The university is organized around three broad academic areas: Engineering, Biomedical Sciences and Social Sciences. This structure brings together professional schools spanning engineering, computing, physical and natural sciences, architecture, medicine and health fields, agriculture, economics, law, administration, communications, humanities and the arts. Graduate education is coordinated through the postgraduate school and faculty units, with active master's and doctoral admissions in 2026. UNSA's main academic presence is in Arequipa, but the institution also maintains regional branches in Camaná, Mollendo and Majes. The scale and distribution of the university mean that applicants should check the exact school, teaching site and delivery format attached to their intended program. Spanish is the institution's working and teaching language in the material reviewed. Administrative information is spread across the central website, faculty sites, admissions systems and the transparency repository, so applicants should use the page belonging to their specific level and program.

Undergraduate entry is organized through UNSA's formal admission processes rather than a US-style holistic application. The Ordinary II Phase examination for the 2026 academic year was restricted to secondary-school graduates. Registration ran online through SISADMISIÓN from 2 February to 3 March 2026, and the examination was held on 15 March. Required registration materials included a secondary-study certificate, a valid national identity document and a photograph meeting the university's digital specifications. These dates have passed and describe the 2026 cycle, not a future deadline. The 2026 ordinary examination had 80 questions and lasted two hours and 30 minutes. The second phase offered 2,450 places across 59 professional programs. UNSA has since announced an Ordinary I Phase process for the 2027 intake, confirming that applicants should use the newest admissions notice and current regulations rather than reusing the 2026 timetable. Special or alternative admission routes may have different rules. Graduate admission is separate. The university's 2026 master's and doctoral call accepted applications until 8 July and scheduled an examination for 19 July. Program availability and modality were listed individually. Prospective master's and doctoral applicants should consult the relevant postgraduate or faculty page for credential prerequisites, documents, fees and any program-specific selection requirements. No general English-test minimum was found; the reviewed admissions material is in Spanish.

Undergraduate study at UNSA covers a broad professional and disciplinary range. The official university directory groups schools into Engineering, Biomedical Sciences and Social Sciences. Engineering-related options include fields such as systems, electrical, electronic, mechanical, industrial, civil, environmental, mining and geological engineering, alongside computing, architecture, mathematics, physics and chemistry. Biomedical offerings include medicine, nursing, biology, nutrition, fisheries and agronomy. The Social Sciences area encompasses economics, accounting, finance, law, administration, marketing, psychology, communications, tourism, sociology, history, philosophy, literature and arts, among other fields. The 2026 ordinary undergraduate admission process offered places across 59 professional programs. Students take general-education courses in interfaculty groups during their early studies, creating some structured academic contact across schools. The institutional student application provides access to schedules, grades, academic history and virtual-library resources. At graduate level, UNSA's 2026 call included both master's and doctoral programs. Formats vary by program: the official listing includes in-person, distance and, in some cases, multiple delivery options. Applicants must therefore confirm modality directly in the current program notice rather than assuming that all graduate study is campus-based or online. Research and applied innovation form another academic pathway. In 2026 the university operated competitive research funding and an innovation-to-market program for selected projects, involving researchers, faculty members and students. These opportunities are selective and should not be interpreted as guaranteed participation for every student.

Key Highlights

• Licensed public university listed by Peru's SUNEDU
• Founded in Arequipa on 11 November 1828
• Academic organization spans Engineering, Biomedical Sciences and Social Sciences
• Regional branches operate in Camaná, Mollendo and Majes

Student Life & Environment

Student support is coordinated through UNSA's Dirección de Bienestar Universitario. Its stated responsibilities cover health, psychological support, social assistance, food, housing-related support, sport, recreation, culture and the arts. The mix is broader than extracurricular programming alone and is intended to address academic participation and personal welfare. For the 2026-A semester, the university reported that its dining service, University Ombudsman's Office, welfare services and medical units were operating. Health provision includes departments in the Biomedical, Engineering and Social Sciences areas, with additional coverage at regional branches. Services address physical and emotional health through multidisciplinary teams. Students needing regular treatment, disability accommodations or specialized care should still confirm the scope, eligibility and referral arrangements before enrolling. The university dining program planned capacity for 3,000 students in 2026 and prioritized applicants experiencing economic vulnerability. Access required a separate online application and socioeconomic assessment, so it should not be treated as an automatic meal plan for all enrolled students. Art, culture, sport and recreation activities are also part of the welfare structure. Institutional transport was expected to continue in 2026, with routes and schedules communicated separately through official channels.

Location & Surroundings

UNSA is based in Arequipa, the principal city of southern Peru. Its academic facilities in the city are distributed across the Engineering, Social Sciences and Biomedical areas rather than presented as one compact, all-purpose campus. The university lists its rectorate at Santa Catalina 117 and its technology office at Calle Universidad 107, while individual faculties publish their own addresses. Prospective students should identify the location of their professional school before arranging housing or estimating daily travel. Beyond central Arequipa, UNSA has branches in Camaná, Mollendo and Majes. These sites extend public university provision across the Arequipa region, but program availability, facilities and student services differ by branch. A regional applicant should verify that the chosen program is actually authorized and delivered at the intended site. Arequipa's urban setting places students near government, commercial, cultural and professional institutions serving southern Peru. At the same time, the university's dispersed facilities and regional footprint make commuting requirements program-specific. The reviewed official material did not establish a general residential-campus model or guarantee university housing, so applicants should plan accommodation independently unless a current welfare office notice confirms assistance.

Costs & Career Outcomes

As a public university, UNSA recognizes tuition-free teaching for eligible first undergraduate study under Peruvian law, but this should not be interpreted as a completely cost-free education. Admission, administrative procedures, degree processing, materials, transport and living expenses may still apply, and second-degree study can be treated differently. Applicants should request a current, program-specific schedule of charges before making a financial plan. For the Ordinary II Phase 2026 undergraduate examination, the application charge was S/126 for graduates of national schools, S/176 for graduates of parochial schools and S/276 for graduates of private schools. The university published the same categories for its first 2027 ordinary phase. These are examination-registration charges, not annual tuition figures. Graduate costs are decentralized and can vary substantially by faculty and program. For example, UNSA's Faculty of Administration advertised 2026 master's study at S/450 over 16 installments, totaling S/7,200, and doctoral study at S/600 over 22 installments, totaling S/13,200. Those figures must not be generalized across the postgraduate school. For career development, UNSA maintains an institutional employment-board and graduate-follow-up function, while its innovation and research units connect selected projects with enterprise and technology-transfer activity. No verified graduate salary, placement rate or employer-outcome statistic was found, so applicants should evaluate career prospects by program and profession.