4 Reasons International Students Should Consider Enrolling in a Colombian University to Earn a College Degree- Colombia is internationally known for its landscapes, its folklore, colorful culture and fine cuisine. Choosing Colombia to advance your study abroad comes with many positive aspects, not only on academics but also outside the learning ground. Along with affordable tuition fee, Colombia has a Tropical weather, and lots of offers available for you!
How is Colombia’s Higher Education System?
Colombia has different institutions of higher learning, It has technical institutes and colleges that offer vocational and education technology, which have a short program period of usually two years. There are also numerous public and private universities with undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the country. Unlike most universities in the world, Colombia’s bachelor degree curriculums are structured to last for 10 semesters or 5 years, instead of three (3) or four ( 4) as in other countries. A reasonable number of universities around the country have campuses in multiple cities, so you will have a lot of options when choosing where to study.
Why Foreign Students Should Consider Colombia
Here are reasons why Foreigners should consider enrolling in a Colombia University to Earn a Degree ;
The High Academic Level of Its Universities
According to a statistical rank by British organization Quacquarelli Symonds, for the top 300 universities in Latin American region , released in December 2016, fourty-one (41) Colombian universities made the list due to the high quality and standard of their education, and also because they offer scholarship and international students an environment conducive to developing their abilities inside and outside of their academic square. The list had the following Colombian universities; Universidad Externado de Colombia, Universidad Nacional, Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad de La Sabana, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Universidad de Antioquia.
Ease of Access to Education
Another advantage that draws foreign and international students to the country is how easy it is to run through their immigration procedures and obtain a visa to pursue their dream course in Colombia. In fact, the many of Colombian universities verified by the Ministry of Education work so hard to reach agreements with universities from other countries of the world to enhance student exchanges and procedures such as obtaining temporary visas , which gives students the right to go anywhere in the world to apply for admissions into any academic programs with or without a scholarship in Colombia. Moreover, any applicant from one of the countries that are members of the Pacific Alliance, will not be needing a visa to study in Colombia. One of such scenerio is that of Universidad ICESI, which has made way for international alliances that brought about 44 students from Spain, France, Germany and the United States to Colombia during the 2nd half of 2016 to enroll in various academic programs, particularly Political Science, Business Administration and Anthropology.
Specialized Programs
One of the many advantages of higher education in Colombia is that it gives specialized academic programs that are not easy to locate in other countries. Some examples of this programs include the “Nanotechnology Engineering degree” , a course offered by Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, “the Pedagogy of Mother Earth bachelor degree”, which is specialized in the study of many indigenous traditions and cultures, it is offered by the Universidad Nacional de Antioquia, another of such program is titled ” Archaeology, Museology, Conservation and Restoration of the Movable Cultural Heritage” a degree program in Universidad Externado de Colombia. What else remains, if you want to learn or make perfect your language skills , Colombia is the perfect place not only because it has Spanish as its official language , but also because of the plans by the government to launch programs like “ELE Colombia (Spanish as Foreign Language)”, which has been delivering quality programs since the year, 2012, in partnership with many of the top universities in the country, for foreign students who finds its hard to learn or speak the Spanish language in Colombia. You could find more details about these initiatives at www.spanishincolombia.gov.co
Low Cost of Living
The quality of life when you are out of the classroom is also a factor that favors foreign students in Colombia, in that regard, Colombian universities offer many advantages since the cost of survival is a way much lower than in most European and American cities, and it is very viable for academic students from Latin America. Besides, the educational offer can be greased with trips to the hundreds of beautiful destinations around the country which will no doubt enhance the learning experience and overall well-being of students studying in Colombia without affecting his or her budget.
In Conclusion, Apart from successfully securing an admission into any international country of choice, one should aswell consider the country’s provisions for international and scholarship students. Always read the guidelines and requirements before applying. Colombian universities are good choice of school for you, if you meet the requirements, make sure to apply.
