Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 9 November 2026.

About Universidad San Francisco de Quito

USFQ opened on 1 September 1988 in a house on Avenida 12 de Octubre and Francisco Salazar in Quito, with 132 students and 9 full-time faculty members.^[1] It moved to Monteserrín in January 1991 and to its Cumbayá campus in September 1994, when it had 1,480 students.^[1] The Ecuadorian state recognised it officially in October 1995 through Executive Decree 3166, and in 2002 it set up a research centre on San Cristóbal in the Galápagos, today the Galapagos Science Center.^[1] Wikipedia describes it as the first fully private, self-financed university in Ecuador.^[6]

The university today has 12 colleges and several sites beyond Cumbayá: Galápagos (Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal), Valencia in Spain, and the research stations at Tiputini and Tandayapa.^[5] It markets itself around the liberal arts.^[5]

How is USFQ ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, USFQ is in the 771–780 band, the highest of the six Ecuadorian universities listed. In the previous edition it was in the 801–850 band.^[8] QS groups institutions in bands at this level, so no exact position is published.^[8] Other Ecuadorian entries are ESPOL and Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (901–950), PUCE (1001–1200), Universidad de las Américas (1201–1400) and Escuela Politécnica Nacional (1401+).^[2]

USFQ’s own site claims first place in Ecuador in QS 2027 and a place in the top 30 of the QS Latin America & The Caribbean 2027 ranking, and says it has been the best Ecuadorian university for nine years running.^[5] That is the university’s wording, not ours. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings. For the national picture see universities in Ecuador.

What can you study at USFQ?

USFQ offers undergraduate programmes, technology programmes, minors, postgraduate programmes and continuing education.^[5] Its fee table for 2025/26 lists degrees such as:^[3]

• Business and economics (CADE): Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Marketing, International Business.
• Architecture and design (CADI): Architecture, Interior Design.
• Hospitality (CHAT): Hospitality and Hotel Management, Gastronomy.
• Social sciences and humanities: Anthropology, Liberal Arts, Political Science, Education, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, International Relations, Literature.
• Communication and arts (COCOA): Digital Animation, Visual Arts, Film, Graphic Design, Journalism, Communication, Advertising.
• Biology (COCIBA): Biology, Biotechnology.
• Health (COCSA): Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Sciences and engineering (Politécnico): Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Computing, and engineering in civil, environmental, computer science, electronics and automation, food, industrial, mechanical and chemical fields.
• Music and law: Contemporary Music Performance, Music Composition, Music Production, Law.

The table is a snapshot of one academic year; the university can open or close programmes.^[3]

How much does USFQ cost?

These are the figures in USFQ’s table for the 2025/26 academic year, valid for students who entered after August 2023. Values are in US dollars and cover a regular year of two semesters; the extraordinary period and the summer session are not included.^[3] The semester amounts are half of the annual ones. The table does not distinguish by nationality.^[3] Totals are our addition of the two columns.

The table also lists two blended-learning programmes at the Galápagos campus (Environmental Management and Business Administration) at far lower prices, US$128 enrolment and US$1,291 tuition a year, spread over three academic periods.^[3] USFQ’s tuition page lists a 2026–2027 table, but it sits in a document folder we could not open, so the 2026/27 amounts are not confirmed here.^[9] The table’s title limits it to students who entered after August 2023, so earlier entrants should ask the university what applies to them.^[3] Check the current figures with the university before you plan a budget.

Shorter stays: non-regular students

Non-regular students, who attend for one or two semesters, pay by the number of classes. For a semester the page lists US$1,750 for one class, US$2,950 for two, US$4,150 for three and US$5,500 for four to five. Summer terms are priced from US$753.75 for one class to US$3,015 for four. The full amount is paid on entry, and the page gives no academic year for these prices.^[10]

Scholarships

USFQ lists academic excellence, honour, competition-based and sports scholarships as well as financial assistance.^[11] Its home page says 60% of students receive a scholarship or financial aid.^[5] The rector’s 2024 report puts the figure at about 55% (4,642 students) for the January–May 2024 semester.^[7] Living costs are not covered here; see the Ecuador guide.

How do you apply to USFQ?

USFQ distinguishes three kinds of student: regular students (a full degree), transfer students (studies at another university) and non-regular students (one or two semesters). Each has its own application path, and the admissions team answers questions at admisiones@usfq.edu.ec.^[11]

• Entry test: the university uses the College Board PAA, with a verbal and a mathematical part of up to 1,200 points each, 2,400 in total.^[4]
• Admission score: secondary-school grades (first and second year of bachillerato, or the final grade) count 60% and the PAA 40%.^[4]
• Minimum score: the page lists 1,650 to enter USFQ, 1,750 for Dentistry and 1,900 for Medicine. Medicine also requires a bachillerato average of at least 8/10 and a science exam in chemistry, biology and mathematics.^[4] This page is filed under transfer of credits, so confirm in the admissions portal which minimum applies to your route.
• Alternatives to the exam: the page names the IB, Abitur, AP, SAT or an acceptance letter from a foreign university; these routes do not apply to scholarship applications.^[4]
• Documents: upload them at least 5 days before an in-person exam or 17 days before a virtual one.^[4]
• Non-regular route: open to Ecuadorians and foreigners. Accepted evidence includes an acceptance letter from a foreign university, the previous semester’s transcript, a diploma with PAA, SAT or ACT results, or the USFQ virtual admission exam.^[10]

USFQ’s page for regular first-year applicants returned an access error when we tried to open it, so check it for the current steps. We give no deadlines because they change every year.

Do you need to speak Spanish or English?

Spanish is the language of the application process on USFQ’s pages. If your native language is not Spanish, you take a placement exam and must reach the level required for USFQ students.^[4] The page does not state the level or accepted certificates, so ask admissions. USFQ also offers English-taught courses as complementary options.^[10]

For postgraduate studies there is an English requirement that depends on the programme. In the university’s list (version September 2025) it ranges from no minimum, for example in Business Administration and Finance, through A1 to A2 (for example Data Science and Artificial Intelligence) to B1 (for example Tropical Ecology and Conservation and the PhD in Ecology and Global Solutions). A1 to B1 are levels of the CEFR scale, the European scale from A1 to C2.^[12] USFQ’s language department certifies the level through its own exam, a valid TOEFL iBT or ITP or Cambridge result (valid two years), or a USFQ degree completed within the last two years.^[12]

More about studying in Ecuador

• Ecuador: best universities
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

More university profiles in Ecuador

• Central University of Ecuador (UCE)
• Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN)
• ESPOL Polytechnic University