The National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua (UNAN-Managua) is a public university in the capital. It was instituted as a university of its own by Decree 1036 of 29 April 1982, after the earlier UNAN had split into a Managua and a León seat.[1] An August 2025 news report puts its enrolment at nearly 50,000 students.[2]
In the QS Latin America and the Caribbean rankings 2027, published on 1 October 2026, a ranking site lists it in the 401+ band.[3] We could not confirm a QS World University Rankings 2027 position. Entry to degrees depends on secondary-school grades, and four degrees add an aptitude test.[4] Teaching and admission pages are in Spanish, and we found no tuition schedule on the pages we read.[4]
Key facts
| Official name | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, Managua (UNAN-Managua)[5] |
| Location | Recinto Universitario Rubén Darío, Managua (address: Rotonda Universitaria Rigoberto López Pérez, 150 metros al este; postal code 663)[5] |
| Type | Public institution[6] |
| Instituted as UNAN-Managua | 29 April 1982, Decree 1036, article 6, with academic, organic, administrative and financial autonomy[1] |
| Roots | University of León (decree of 1812); university autonomy of 25 March 1958; Rubén Darío campus in Managua (first stone 19 January 1967; all faculties there by April 1969)[1] |
| Students | Nearly 50,000 (August 2025, per a news report quoting the university’s academic director)[2] |
| Earlier student counts | About 33,000 undergraduate and about 2,000 postgraduate students (project page, 2018)[7] |
| Knowledge areas at the Managua campus | Education, Arts and Humanities; Economics and Administration; Social and Legal Sciences; Health Sciences; Basic Sciences and Technology; and a programme for the national prison system[4] |
| Other sites | Regional university centres (CUR) in Carazo, Chontales, Estelí and Matagalpa, and the “Universidad en el Campo” (UNICAM) programme[4] |
| Postgraduate | Master’s programmes (“Posgrado y Formación Continua 2026”)[8] |
| QS Latin America & Caribbean 2027 | 401+ (edition published 1 October 2026)[3] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | Not confirmed[3] |
| uniRank 2026, Nicaragua | 1st (web-metrics league table)[9] |
| Tuition | The academic director says the university guarantees free, quality education; no fee schedule found for international students[2] |
| Language | Spanish[4] |
| Official website | unan.edu.ni |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 9 November 2026.
About UNAN-Managua
UNAN-Managua’s own history, in an anniversary issue of its Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo, begins with the University of León of 1812. In 1941 a separate University of Managua was created; it was closed on 28 June 1944 and its activities moved to León. In 1947 the León university became a National University, and on 25 March 1958 Executive Decree No. 38 granted autonomy. On 19 January 1967 the first stone of the Rubén Darío campus was laid in Managua, and by April 1969 all faculties had moved there.[1]
After the revolution of July 1979 the university grew quickly. The same source says that on 29 April 1982, by Decree 1036, article 6, UNAN-Managua was instituted with academic, organic, administrative and financial autonomy, so that the Managua and León seats each had their own administration.[1] Wikipedia dates the separation to 1983 and the project page ACCEDES to 1982.[10][7] Both seats were later covered by Law 89, the autonomy law for higher education institutions.[7]
The university states that its mission is to train well-rounded professionals with civic and scientific-technical competencies, and it describes itself as a public institution.[6]
How is UNAN-Managua ranked?
The XuanXiao ranking site lists UNAN-Managua in the 401+ band of the QS Latin America and the Caribbean Rankings 2027, published on 1 October 2026.[3] We could not confirm a position in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026).
The uniRank 2026 league table of Nicaraguan institutions places it first in Nicaragua. uniRank calls its table non-academic and bases it on web metrics.[9] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at UNAN-Managua?
The Managua campus organises its degrees in five areas: Education, Arts and Humanities; Economics and Administration; Social and Legal Sciences; Health Sciences; and Basic Sciences and Technology. A sixth programme serves the national prison system.[4] Degrees on the offer page include:[4]
- Education and languages: mathematics, biology, natural sciences, physics, French, English, educational informatics
- Sciences: applied mathematics, environmental, pharmaceutical and industrial chemistry, medical physics, geophysics
- Engineering and architecture: architecture, civil, electronic, industrial, environmental, geological and renewable-energy engineering, computer science, information systems, statistics
- Technical: higher technician in construction and in surveying
The page also names medicine, dentistry, medical optometry and psychology, and the list we could read was partial.[4] Regional centres in Carazo, Chontales, Estelí and Matagalpa and the rural UNICAM programme extend the offer.[4] Postgraduate study includes master’s programmes, some in-person and some in meeting-based formats.[8]
How much does UNAN-Managua cost?
We could not confirm a fee schedule. The admission and programme pages we read do not list tuition.[4] In August 2025 the university’s academic director, José Antonio Medal, said in a report by the news agency Prensa Latina that UNAN-Managua guarantees free, quality education; the same report says free access at all levels of public higher education has existed for 18 years, and that 25,400 scholarships went to students at the country’s 12 public universities.[2] These are statements by officials, which we cannot check against a fee table.
We found no current fee list for international students, so we publish no figures. Ask the international office before you plan a budget: the Dirección de Relaciones Públicas e Internacionales lists ori@unan.edu.ni and rpublicas@unan.edu.ni, telephone (+505) 2278 6769, extension 5149.[11]
The university runs a scholarship programme, founded on 8 November 1980, for students from remote regions. Its page states that foreign students must present an official identity document that meets the rules of the national comptroller.[12] For living costs, see our Nicaragua university guide.
How do you apply to UNAN-Managua?
The offer page describes how places are allocated.[4]
- Ranking of applicants: applicants are placed by the weighted average of their secondary-school grades in history, geography, mathematics, language and literature, chemistry, biology and physics.
- Quota: of the places in each shift, 70% go to applicants from state schools and 30% to applicants from private schools. Applicants who finished secondary school abroad are counted as coming from a private school.
- Medicine, dentistry, medical optometry and psychology: the minimum secondary average is 85 for medicine and dentistry and 80 for optometry and psychology. Applicants also sit an in-person aptitude test worth 40% of the final score. Those who miss their first choice are placed in their second choice automatically.
The page does not describe the application form, foreign-diploma recognition or visa steps, and we found no list of documents for non-Nicaraguan applicants. Contact the university: info@unan.edu.ni.[5] The international office is the best first contact for recognition of foreign diplomas.[11] We give no deadlines because they change every year.
Which language do you need?
The programme descriptions and admission rules are in Spanish.[4] We found no English-taught degree and no published language-test requirement, so plan for Spanish at a high level. The university also trains teachers of English and French as foreign languages.[4]
Frequently Asked Questions
Is UNAN-Managua the same university as UNAN-León?
No. Both go back to the University of León of 1812, but they are separate institutions. UNAN-Managua was instituted by Decree 1036 of 29 April 1982.[1]
When was UNAN-Managua founded?
The university names 29 April 1982 as the date it was instituted, with its own autonomy. Its history goes back to the University of León (1812) and the autonomy of 1958.[1]
How many students does UNAN-Managua have?
Is UNAN-Managua free for international students?
More about studying in Nicaragua
- Nicaragua: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Nicaragua
- Central American University (UCA), Managua
- National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, León (UNAN-León)
Sources
[1] UNAN-Managua, Semanario Ideas y Debate no. 89: Breve reseña histórica de la UNAN-Managua (José Gerardo Moreno) (special issue for the 40th anniversary of UNAN-Managua, document without a date)
[2] Prensa Latina: Nicaragua garantiza educación superior a miles de estudiantes (article of 12 Aug 2025; news agency reporting statements by Nicaraguan officials)
[3] XuanXiao: National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (Managua); QS Latin America & The Caribbean 2027 (QS publishes at topuniversities.com, which blocks automated access) (rankings fetched on 8 Oct 2026; QS edition published 1 Oct 2026)
[4] UNAN-Managua: Áreas del conocimiento (Oferta educativa; criterios de selección) (page updated 27 Oct 2026)
[5] UNAN-Managua: Información oficial institucional (contact and address) (page updated 29 Sep 2026)
[6] UNAN-Managua: Misión y Visión (page without a date)
[7] ACCEDES project (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona): UNAN-Managua profile (project page of 2018, figures may be out of date)
[8] UNAN-Managua: Posgrado y Formación Continua 2026 (page updated 24 Jun 2026)
[9] uniRank: 2026 Nicaraguan University Ranking (page without a date (© 2005–2026))
[10] Wikipedia: National Autonomous University of Nicaragua at León (separation date) (page without a date)
[11] UNAN-Managua: Internacionalización (page updated 11 May 2026)
[12] UNAN-Managua: Programa de Becas (page updated 16 Oct 2026)
[13] Wikipedia: National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (student figures; page without a date)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.