Rafael Landívar University: Ranking

The short answer

Rafael Landívar University (Universidad Rafael Landívar, URL) is a private, non-profit university in Guatemala City with a Jesuit identity. The university says it has been active since 1961 and describes itself as the country’s first private university.^[1]^[2] It reports more than 34,900 active students, nine faculties and campuses in nine places.^[1]

In QS Latin America & The Caribbean 2027 XuanXiao lists it in the 181–190 band. We found no entry for it in the QS World University Rankings 2027, so a world ranking is not confirmed.^[3]^[4] The university does not publish tuition amounts on the pages we read. The admission evaluation for a licenciatura costs Q300 (GTQ).^[5]

Key facts

Location	Vista Hermosa III, Zone 16, Guatemala City 01016, Guatemala^[1]
Type	Private, non-profit, independent university of Jesuit tradition; Wikipedia adds Roman Catholic and coeducational^[6]^[2]
Founded	1961 according to the university; Wikipedia adds that it was inaugurated on 22 January 1962 with 138 students^[1]
Students	More than 34,900 active students (university website); Wikipedia’s infobox gives 31,176^[1]
Faculties	Nine: Health Sciences; Architecture and Design; Environmental and Agricultural Sciences; Economics and Business; Law and Social Sciences; Political and Social Sciences; Humanities; Engineering; Theology^[1]
Campuses	Guatemala City, Escuintla, Huehuetenango, Jutiapa, La Antigua Guatemala, La Verapaz, Quetzaltenango, Quiché and Zacapa^[1]
Programmes	More than 223 bachelor’s, engineering and postgraduate programmes; 21 of them internationally accredited, according to the university^[1]
Scholarships	More than 480 scholarships offered in 2025^[1]
QS World University Rankings 2027	Not confirmed (no entry found)^[4]
QS Latin America & The Caribbean 2027	Band 181–190^[3]
Admission evaluation fee	Q300 for licenciaturas, Q150 for diplomas and technical programmes at the Guatemala City campus (no year stated)^[5]
Tuition	Not published on the pages we read^[7]
Language of teaching	Spanish (all courses, per the exchange fact sheet)^[8]
Official website	principal.url.edu.gt

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 8 November 2026.

About Rafael Landívar University

The university states that it has been active since 1961 and calls itself the first private university in Guatemala.^[1] Wikipedia says it was inaugurated on 22 January 1962 with 138 students, first held classes at the Liceo Guatemala, and later moved to its present Zone 16 campus, called Campus San Francisco de Borja, S. J.^[6]^[8] The university describes itself as independent and non-profit, with Christian inspiration and a Jesuit tradition; its mission refers to a university model with Jesuit identity.^[2]

It reports more than 34,900 active students, more than 78,000 graduates, and more than 4,000 teaching staff.^[1] Wikipedia’s infobox gives 31,176 students, without a year.^[6] The main campus is in Vista Hermosa III, Zone 16 of Guatemala City; the university lists eight further locations around the country.^[1]

How is Rafael Landívar University ranked?

In QS Latin America & The Caribbean 2027, XuanXiao lists the university in the 181–190 band among 517 institutions.^[3] The XuanXiao profile shows no QS World University Rankings entry for it, and the Panamanian press report on the 2027 world edition does not name it, so a world ranking is not confirmed.^[4]

In a news item of 29 April 2026 the university says it has “consolidated” its place among leading Latin American universities, “surpassing more than 60 % of the institutions evaluated in the region”, and that it is one of few Guatemalan universities in the ranking. The article does not name the ranking edition or give a position.^[9] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings. Back to the Guatemala ranking.

What can you study at Rafael Landívar University?

The university offers more than 223 bachelor’s, engineering and postgraduate programmes, of which it says 21 are internationally accredited.^[1] It has nine faculties:^[1]

Health Sciences
Architecture and Design
Environmental and Agricultural Sciences
Economics and Business
Law and Social Sciences
Political and Social Sciences
Humanities
Engineering
Theology

New bachelor’s programmes named on the home page for the Faculty of Economic Sciences are Tourism and Hospitality Business Management, Business Strategy and Transformation, and Economics with an emphasis on Data Science.^[1] See the university website for the programme catalogue.

How much does Rafael Landívar University cost?

We did not find a published tuition schedule. The admission page lists no amounts and refers questions to the Centre for Orientation and Admission (COA).^[7] What the university does publish:

Admission evaluation, Guatemala City campus: Q300 (GTQ) for licenciaturas and Q150 for diplomas, technical programmes and teaching diplomas. The FAQ document carries no year.^[5]
Admission evaluation, Quetzaltenango campus: Q225.^[10]
Scholarships: more than 480 scholarships were offered in 2025.^[1]
Exchange students: course and enrolment costs are waived when the home university has an agreement with URL that says so. The fact sheet (labelled 2024) estimates living costs at US$300–500 for rent and fixed costs and US$375 for food per month, an estimate by the university.^[8]

For the matrícula and monthly fees of your programme, write to coa@url.edu.gt or call +502 2426 2626, extensions 2248 and 2249.^[7]

How do you apply to Rafael Landívar University?

The page for the “Generation 2027” intake describes the in-person admission process at the Guatemala City campus:^[7]

Choose the date of your evaluation, pay the voucher (online by card or in cash at Banco Industrial) and validate it to receive your access credentials by e-mail.
Complete the form in the Candidate Portal and upload your documents: a photo ID issued from 2024 on (school card, DPI, driving licence or passport) as a PDF, and the official grade certificate for the last two years completed and passed (2024–2025).
Sit the evaluation (EXCOBA); arrive 40 minutes early with the original ID and the printed credentials e-mail. Electronic devices are not allowed.
Check the results in the portal on the Thursday of the week after the evaluation.
If admitted, pay the matrícula in the portal and enrol on your faculty’s dates.

Only one evaluation per year is allowed. The page has no information for foreign applicants and refers them to the COA (coa@url.edu.gt); for the Quetzaltenango campus, foreign applicants can contact admisionescq@url.edu.gt.^[7]^[10] Exchange students apply through the Directorate of Internationalisation and Academic Cooperation: they need a form, a motivation letter of 500 words, a transcript, a valid passport, an average of at least 75/100 and four completed semesters.^[8]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year; the portal shows the dates for each intake.

Which language level do you need?

All courses at the university are taught in Spanish, according to the university’s exchange fact sheet. For exchange students who are not native Spanish speakers it requires at least level B1 of the CEFR (the European scale from A1 to C2); a recommendation letter from the home university’s language department is accepted as proof.^[8] We found no language requirement for degree-seeking foreign applicants on the admission pages.^[7]

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Rafael Landívar University a private university?

Yes. The university describes itself as independent and non-profit with a Jesuit tradition.^[2] It also calls itself the first private university in Guatemala.^[1]

How much is the Rafael Landívar admission evaluation?

Q300 for licenciaturas and Q150 for diplomas and technical programmes at the Guatemala City campus; the FAQ gives no year.^[5] The Quetzaltenango campus lists Q225.^[10]

What is Rafael Landívar University’s QS ranking?

XuanXiao lists it in the 181–190 band of QS Latin America & The Caribbean 2027. A QS World University Rankings 2027 entry is not confirmed.^[3]^[4]

Do I need to speak Spanish to study at Rafael Landívar University?

The university’s exchange fact sheet says all courses are taught in Spanish and asks exchange students for CEFR level B1.^[8]

Does Rafael Landívar University offer scholarships?

Yes. The university says it offered more than 480 scholarships in 2025.^[1]