The University of the Andes (Universidad de Los Andes, ULA) is a national autonomous university financed by the State, with its main campus in Mérida, in the Venezuelan Andes.[1] It traces its origins to a seminary founded in 1785 and received the title of university on 21 September 1810.[1] It is in the 1201–1400 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027[2] and 95th in the QS Latin America & the Caribbean ranking 2027.[3]
ULA has 11 faculties, 3 núcleos and one extension, and teaching is in Spanish.[1] We found no tuition rate. Venezuela’s constitution says education at State institutions is free of charge up to the undergraduate university level;[4] the ULA admission page says applicants pay an admission fee (arancel de admisión) for the entrance test, but does not state the amount.[5]
Key facts
| Official name | Universidad de Los Andes (ULA) |
| Location | Mérida, Venezuela (main campus); programmes also listed in Táchira, Trujillo, Tovar and El Vigía[6] |
| Type | National autonomous university financed by the State[1] |
| Founded | Seminary founded in 1785 by Bishop Juan Ramos de Lora; university title granted 21 September 1810[1] |
| Names | Universidad de Mérida (1824); Universidad de Los Andes since 24 September 1883; briefly Universidad Occidental (1904); current name restored in 1905[1] |
| Structure | 11 faculties, 3 núcleos and 1 extension; semester system in most programmes[1] |
| Faculties | Art; Architecture and Design (FADULA); Sciences; Economic and Social Sciences (FACES); Forestry and Environmental Sciences; Legal and Political Sciences; Pharmacy and Bioanalysis; Humanities and Education; Engineering; Medicine; Dentistry[6] |
| Language of teaching | Spanish[1] |
| Students | No current figure found (Wikipedia’s infobox shows 54,000 for 2006)[7] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | 1201–1400 (band, not a single rank)[2] |
| QS Latin America & Caribbean 2027 | 95th (edition published 1 October 2026)[3] |
| Tuition | No rate found. Constitution: education at State institutions is free of charge up to the undergraduate university level. Admission fee for the entrance test: amount not stated[4] |
| Official website | ula.ve |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.
About the University of the Andes (Venezuela)
The University of the Andes goes back to 1785, when Bishop Juan Ramos de Lora founded a house of studies in Mérida for young men training for the priesthood. It became a seminary and, in 1806, King Charles IV let it grant degrees. On 21 September 1810 the ruling Junta in Mérida gave it the title “Real Universidad de San Buenaventura de Mérida de los Caballeros”.[1]
The page of the university tells the later changes: an earthquake in 1812, a move to Maracaibo, a return to Mérida in 1821, the name Universidad de Mérida, and then the name Universidad de Los Andes, which the government gave on 24 September 1883. The name was changed to Universidad Occidental in 1904 and restored in 1905.[1] Today ULA describes itself as a national autonomous university financed by the State, with 11 faculties, 3 núcleos and one extension.[1] Wikipedia calls it the second-oldest university in Venezuela and the largest public university in the Venezuelan Andes.[7]
How is the University of the Andes ranked?
In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, ULA is in the 1201–1400 band. QS publishes bands, not single ranks, at this level. We read the band on an aggregator profile (in Chinese) because topuniversities.com blocks automated access.[2]
In the QS Latin America & the Caribbean ranking 2027, published on 1 October 2026, ULA is 95th, behind the Central University of Venezuela (38th), the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (81st) and Simón Bolívar University (84th), and ahead of the University of Zulia (145th).[3] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at the University of the Andes?
ULA’s programme listing is organised by site. The main site is Mérida, and the listing also shows programmes at the núcleos in Táchira and Trujillo (NURR) and in Tovar and El Vigía.[6] The faculties are:[6]
- Art
- Architecture and Design (FADULA)
- Sciences
- Economic and Social Sciences (FACES)
- Forestry and Environmental Sciences
- Legal and Political Sciences
- Pharmacy and Bioanalysis
- Humanities and Education
- Engineering
- Medicine
- Dentistry
In Mérida the listing includes, among others, architecture, law, economics, civil, electrical, geological, mechanical, chemical and systems engineering, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, as well as arts and education degrees.[6] Studies are offered at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and there is a distance-learning law programme.[1][6]
How much does the University of the Andes cost?
We did not find a tuition rate for any academic year on the ULA pages we could read, and we do not state one. Article 103 of the Venezuelan constitution (English translation, Constitute Project) reads: “Education offered at State institutions is free of charge up to the undergraduate university level.”[4] ULA describes itself as financed by the State.[1]
The admission page says an applicant must pay the admission fee (arancel de admisión) that matches the entry route or test, but it gives no amount.[5] We found no ULA page on how fees apply to foreign students or to postgraduate programmes, so ask the admissions office (OFAE). For living costs see our Venezuela guide.
How do you apply to the University of the Andes?
The ULA page “Pasos para ingresar a la ULA” describes the steps for school-leavers (bachilleres):[5]
- Choose a programme and learn the entry route; depending on the applicant’s profile, ULA offers different ways to enter.
- Pay the admission fee for the route or test.
- About 48 hours after you have the bank deposit slip, register online for the test. Take your identity card and the deposit slip to the test and arrive 30 minutes early.
- The answer key is normally published 72 hours after the test; the cut-off mark of each programme and the list of admitted applicants follow.
- Admitted applicants enrol through the Oficina Central de Registros Estudiantiles (OCRE) and must prepare the required documents.
Wikipedia adds that admission is competitive and generally mediated through the national university planning office OPSU.[7] The page does not say how foreign applicants should proceed; it only links to an office for international legal service and to Spanish-language courses, neither of which we read. We give no dates because they change every year; check the OFAE pages before you start.
Which language do you need?
Teaching at ULA is in Spanish.[1] We found no statement about a language certificate or an English-taught programme. The admission page links to Spanish-language courses; we did not read what they offer.[5] If you do not speak Spanish, ask the admissions office before you apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the University of the Andes in Venezuela free?
Is it the same as Universidad de los Andes in Colombia?
No. This ULA is the public university in Mérida, Venezuela, founded as a seminary in 1785.[1] The Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá is a separate institution in Colombia.
How is the University of the Andes ranked?
How do I get admitted?
Choose a programme, pay the admission fee, register online for the test, sit the test and, if admitted, enrol through OCRE.[5] The page does not describe a separate route for foreign applicants.
Do I need Spanish?
Yes, in practice: teaching is in Spanish.[1] We found no English-taught programmes.
More about studying in Venezuela
- Venezuela: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Venezuela
Sources
[1] Universidad de Los Andes: Reseña histórica (history and description of the university) (page without a date)
[2] xuanxiao.org: Universidad de Los Andes (ULA) Mérida (aggregator profile with QS 2027 band; QS publishes the ranking at topuniversities.com, which blocks automated access) (page without a date; lists the QS 2027 edition)
[3] elDiario: Ranking QS 2027, cuatro universidades de Venezuela entre las 100 mejores de América Latina (article of 1 Oct 2026; QS Latin America & Caribbean edition published 1 Oct 2026)
[4] Constitute Project: Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) constitution 1999, rev. 2009, article 103 (English translation) (text of the constitution as revised in 2009)
[5] Universidad de Los Andes: Pasos para ingresar a la ULA (page without a date; the layout still mentions the 2020 annual report)
[6] Universidad de Los Andes: Carreras por núcleos (page without a date)
[7] Wikipedia: University of the Andes (Venezuela) (page revised 18 Sep 2026; history, admission, infobox)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.