Universidad Rafael Landívar

About Universidad Rafael Landívar

Universidad Rafael Landívar was formally founded on 18 October 1961 by Guatemalan citizens associated with the Jesuit educational project. Its first classes began in January 1962 with faculties in economics, law, and humanities. The university later moved its central academic and administrative activity to Vista Hermosa III in Guatemala City, where its principal campus remains. The institution defines itself as Guatemalan, independent, nonprofit, Christian-inspired, Catholic, and Jesuit. This identity shapes an educational model that connects teaching and research with social engagement, ethical formation, and attention to conditions in Guatemala and Central America. Prospective students should expect this institutional perspective to appear in both curricular and extracurricular activities, although admission is not described as restricted by religion. Landívar is one university with a multi-location system rather than a collection of independent institutions. Its current public directory identifies locations in Guatemala City, Escuintla, Huehuetenango, Jutiapa, Antigua Guatemala, La Verapaz, Quetzaltenango, Quiché, and Zacapa. The available degree portfolio differs by location, making the campus-specific program directory important when comparing options. Guatemala’s Council of Private Higher Education lists the university and its academic units, providing external confirmation that it is an authorized degree-granting institution rather than a training provider or individual faculty.

The university is currently publishing a Generation 2027 admission process for the Guatemala City campus. A first-time undergraduate applicant begins through the admissions site and candidate portal, pays for and selects an admission-evaluation date, completes the personal-data form, and reviews the requirements and assessment content assigned to the intended program. For the published 2027 process, candidates must upload an identification document with a recent photograph and report grades from their two most recently completed and approved school years, identified on the page as 2024 and 2025. They must bring the original identification and a printed copy of their candidate-portal credentials to the in-person evaluation. Electronic devices are not allowed during the assessment. Results are released through the candidate portal, and admitted applicants then pay enrollment and register according to their faculty’s schedule. Medicine has a separate published process, and applicants with prior university coursework are directed to consult the admissions office. Requirements may also differ for regional campuses, transfers, and graduate programs. For postgraduate admission, the general university page describes a faculty interview followed by registration documents such as a curriculum vitae, employment confirmation when required, identification, evidence of the prior undergraduate award, faculty forms, and proof of enrollment payment. Applicants should use the current program-specific instructions rather than the older 2026 guide.

The university organizes its undergraduate offering through nine broad faculties: Architecture and Design; Environmental and Agricultural Sciences; Economic and Business Sciences; Legal and Social Sciences; Political and Social Sciences; Health Sciences; Humanities; Engineering; and Theology. The official program finder can be filtered by faculty or campus, which is essential because availability varies across the Landívar system. Recognized offerings include licenciatura-level study as well as technical and other credentials; applicants should verify the exact award, curriculum, schedule, and location for their chosen program rather than assuming every undergraduate credential is equivalent. Graduate education includes more than 45 advertised postgraduate options delivered through online, hybrid, and face-to-face formats. The current portfolio spans fields such as business, finance, law, public policy, humanities, agriculture, health, and theology. The university also advertises doctorates in Economics, Law, and Interdisciplinary Research for Social Transformation. Entry requirements and delivery arrangements can differ by faculty and program. Landívar reported an active curriculum-renewal process in 2026. Work completed during the first semester of that year included updating graduate profiles and progressively incorporating active learning, interdisciplinarity, internationalization, research links, and inclusion. This makes current program pages and study plans more reliable planning tools than older brochures. Applicants considering professional fields should also check program-specific practice, accreditation, and graduation requirements directly with the relevant faculty.

Key Highlights

• Private, nonprofit university entrusted to the Society of Jesus
• Founded in Guatemala City on 18 October 1961
• Operates a multi-campus system across nine listed Guatemalan locations
• Recognized by Guatemala’s Council of Private Higher Education

Student Life & Environment

Student participation is coordinated in part through the university’s Center for Student Leadership. At the central campus, the supported structure includes student associations, faculty groups, specialized groups, and interfaculty organizations. Across the wider campus system, the university identifies classroom representatives, faculty associations, and campus-level student representative councils. Landívar Clubs provide additional spaces organized around hobbies and shared interests. The university’s Jesuit identity is visible outside the classroom through pastoral activity, leadership formation, volunteering and social engagement, culture, and institutional programs concerned with safe environments. Participation in these activities may appeal to students seeking a values-oriented campus, but applicants should review the opportunities offered at their particular location rather than assume central-campus services are replicated everywhere. The Landívar Sports Center runs introductory training, competitive teams, directed physical activity, recreation, and larger participatory events. Published disciplines include athletics, basketball, football, futsal, taekwondo, tennis, beach and indoor volleyball, cheerleading, Zumba, and marching band. The university also stages internal and inter-university competition. No general residential-life system was verified; one official program page mentions a residence connected specifically with medical training near Hospital Roosevelt, so students in other programs should not infer that university housing is routinely available.

Location & Surroundings

The university’s administrative center and principal campus are at Vista Hermosa III, Zone 16, Guatemala City, postal code 01016. The site became the university’s main location during the 1970s and is now known as Campus San Francisco de Borja, S.J. It houses central administration and a broad academic offering, but applicants should confirm where their faculty’s classes and practical activities take place. Landívar’s geographic reach extends well beyond the capital. Its official directory lists additional locations in Quetzaltenango, La Verapaz, Huehuetenango, Quiché, Zacapa, Antigua Guatemala, Escuintla, and Jutiapa. This can allow students to pursue selected programs closer to their home region, though the complete Guatemala City portfolio is not necessarily available at every location. Prospective students should evaluate commuting time, local transportation, and private accommodation before enrolling. The reviewed sources did not provide a university-wide housing inventory, meal-plan price, or current transport schedule. The only verified residence reference was tied specifically to medical students undertaking hospital practice near Hospital Roosevelt, not to general undergraduate housing.

Costs & Career Outcomes

No comprehensive official 2026/2027 tuition table covering all undergraduate programs and campuses was found in the reviewed material. The university states that admitted students pay an enrollment charge and then register through their faculty, while available older fee documents warn that enrollment and installment amounts can change. Because charges vary by program and may be revised, applicants should request a current written calculation for their exact degree, campus, course load, and entry term. Older figures should not be treated as current. The university publishes several scholarship routes. Its current scholarship page identifies Landívar scholarships for first-entry undergraduate students at the central campus and regional system for the first cycle of 2027, alongside sports, Loyola, external, and other named schemes. Eligibility, campus coverage, deadlines, and renewal rules vary, so an applicant should consult the individual call before relying on an award. General housing or meal-plan prices were not verified and should be budgeted separately. For career support, the Landívar employment board connects students and graduates with vacancies submitted by employers in industrial, governmental, public, and recruitment sectors. Users create a profile and apply through the institutional portal; employers review applications directly. The university also describes an employment fair involving training programs, paid internships, and permanent positions. These services provide access to opportunities but do not constitute job placement or a guaranteed employment outcome.