The Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) in Managua was a private, non-profit university founded by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1960.[1] On 16 August 2023 it suspended all academic and administrative activity after a Managua judge ordered the seizure of its buildings and financial assets.[1] You cannot currently enrol at the UCA. This page records its status; it is not an admissions page.
Before the suspension the university had about 9,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students, according to its own website as reported by Voice of America.[1] The government then set up a state institution, the Universidad Nacional Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro, on the former UCA premises.[2][3]
Key facts
| Official name | Universidad Centroamericana (UCA)[1] |
| Current status | Activity suspended since 16 August 2023; no reopening reported in the sources we read (latest: August 2024 and May 2025)[4] |
| Type | Private, non-profit, Catholic (Jesuit) university[1] |
| Founded | 1960, by the Society of Jesus; described as the first private university created in Central America[1] |
| Location | Avenida Universitaria, Managua[5] |
| Students before the suspension | About 9,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students (university website, as reported by VOA); the encyclopedia article lists 8,787 undergraduates and 643 postgraduates, undated[1] |
| Faculties (per encyclopedia article) | Law; Humanities and Communication; Science, Technology and Environment; Business Economics[5] |
| Suspension | 16 August 2023, after a judge ordered the seizure of all its real estate and financial assets[1] |
| Reason given by the court | Accused of having operated as “a centre of terrorism, organizing criminal groups”; the UCA and the Jesuit Province of Central America call the accusation unfounded[1] |
| Successor on the same premises | Universidad Nacional Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro (state university)[3] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | Not ranked; the institution is suspended[6] |
| Tuition and admissions | None; the UCA does not accept applications[4] |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 9 November 2026.
What was the Universidad Centroamericana?
The Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) was founded in 1960 by the Society of Jesus as a non-profit educational institution. Voice of America describes it as the first private university created in Central America.[1] The Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States likewise calls it the first private institution of higher education in Nicaragua.[7] Its campus was on Avenida Universitaria in Managua.[5]
According to the encyclopedia article on the university, it taught in four faculties: Law; Humanities and Communication; Science, Technology and Environment; and Business Economics.[5] The article is undated, so check any detail with a current source.
What happened to the UCA in August 2023?
The sources we read give this sequence:
- 9 August 2023: the university’s bank accounts were frozen.[7]
- 16 August 2023: the UCA announced that it was suspending all academic and administrative activity after a Managua judge notified it of the seizure of all its real estate and financial assets. The UCA said the building would pass to the Nicaraguan state.[1]
- Grounds given: the judiciary accused the university of having operated as “a centre of terrorism, organizing criminal groups”. The UCA called the accusations unfounded, and the Jesuit Province of Central America called them false and unfounded.[1]
- 17 August 2023: Nicaragua’s government announced a state university named after Casimiro Sotelo, to operate on the properties taken from the UCA. Its stated purpose was to ensure “educational continuity” for the students of the former UCA.[2]
On the first anniversary, in August 2024, the Jesuit Province described the closure as an “unpunished and unjustified conspiracy”, and the reports we read did not say that the university had reopened.[4] Nicaragua’s government and the Jesuits give different accounts of the case; we report only what the sources state.
Is the UCA ranked?
No current ranking applies. We could not confirm a QS World University Rankings 2027 position for the UCA, and the institution has been suspended since August 2023. The uniRank 2026 league table of Nicaraguan institutions lists 37 institutions and does not include the UCA.[6] Rankings differ by publisher and year. How we compile rankings.
What could you study at the UCA, and what happens now?
The UCA offered undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.[1] We found no current programme list because the university is not operating. The encyclopedia article names the four faculties above.[5]
The government states that students of the former UCA can continue at the state institution that now uses the premises, the Universidad Nacional Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro.[2] The news agency Prensa Latina reported in August 2025, quoting Nicaraguan officials, that this university and UNAN-Managua welcomed second-semester students.[8] In 2025 the state university also opened a research centre on the former UCA site.[3] Students interviewed in August 2024 said they had instead enrolled at the Jesuit UCA José Simeón Cañas in El Salvador; the total number who moved to Jesuit universities elsewhere was not known.[4]
What does it cost to study at the UCA?
Nothing, because the UCA does not take students. We publish no fee figures for the former university, since no current, dated fee schedule from an official source was available to us. Fees at other Nicaraguan universities are covered on their own pages, for example UNAN-Managua and UNAN-León.
Can you apply to the UCA now?
No. The UCA suspended all academic and administrative activity on 16 August 2023.[1] If you studied there and need to continue your degree, the reports we read name the Jesuit UCA José Simeón Cañas in El Salvador as one option that former students used, and the state-run Universidad Nacional Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro as the government’s stated option.[4][2] Contact the receiving university for credit recognition. For other options in Nicaragua, see our Nicaragua university ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) in Managua still open?
Why was the UCA closed?
A Managua judge ordered the seizure of the university’s real estate and financial assets and accused it of having operated as a “centre of terrorism”. The UCA and the Jesuit Province of Central America say the accusations are unfounded.[1]
What is the Universidad Nacional Casimiro Sotelo Montenegro?
Can I still get a degree certificate or records from the UCA?
We could not confirm how records of the former UCA are handled, and we do not give advice on this. Ask the university where you want to continue, or the national education authorities, how they treat credits from the UCA.
More about studying in Nicaragua
- Nicaragua: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Nicaragua
- National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, León (UNAN-León)
- National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua (UNAN-Managua)
Sources
[1] Voice of America (Spanish): Universidad de jesuitas en Nicaragua suspende operaciones (article of 16 Aug 2023)
[2] Voice of America (Spanish): Nicaragua conforma una universidad estatal en reemplazo de la jesuita UCA (article of 17 Aug 2023)
[3] La Prensa (Nicaragua): La dictadura inaugura centro de investigación en instalaciones robadas a la UCA (article of 2 May 2025; the outlet’s headline is critical of the government, we use only the reported facts)
[4] Voice of America (Spanish): Estudiantes reflexionan a un año del cierre de universidad jesuita en Nicaragua (article of 16 Aug 2024)
[5] Wikipedia: Central American University, Managua (address, faculties and student figures; page without a date)
[6] uniRank: 2026 Nicaraguan University Ranking (page without a date (© 2005–2026); web-metrics league table)
[7] Jesuits.org: Jesuits of Canada and the United States issue statement on the Nicaraguan government’s seizure of the University of Central America (statement of 17 Aug 2023)
[8] Prensa Latina: Nicaragua garantiza educación superior a miles de estudiantes (article of 12 Aug 2025; news agency reporting statements by Nicaraguan officials)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.