University of Zulia

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.

About the University of Zulia

The University of Zulia (LUZ) was created by a decree of 29 May 1891 that converted the Federal College of Maracaibo into a university; it began work on 11 September 1891.^[1] Spanish Wikipedia traces its roots to the Colegio Nacional de Maracaibo, created by decree on 2 March 1837.^[6]

The government closed the university for political reasons and it reopened on 1 October 1946, an event known as “La Reapertura”.^[1] The sources differ on the year of the closure: English Wikipedia says 1909, and the heading of the Spanish article says 1904.^[1][6] Spanish Wikipedia describes LUZ as a public autonomous university with about 28,000 students, 11 faculties in Maracaibo, two núcleos (Cabimas, and Punto Fijo in Falcón state) and an extension in the south of Lake Maracaibo.^[6] The admission office gives the rectorate address as Avenida 16 Guajira with calle 67 (Cecilio Acosta), Maracaibo.^[5]

How is the University of Zulia ranked?

In the QS Latin America & the Caribbean ranking 2027, published on 1 October 2026, LUZ is 145th. The same report puts it behind the Central University of Venezuela (38th), the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (81st), Simón Bolívar University (84th) and the University of the Andes (95th).^[2]

For the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026) we could not confirm a placement for LUZ. The aggregator profile we read shows the band 1401+ for the 2026 edition only.^[7] 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 Zulia?

Spanish Wikipedia counts 27 schools, 56 degree programmes and about 100 postgraduate programmes in 11 faculties.^[6] English Wikipedia lists undergraduate degrees in these areas:^[1]

• Agronomy
• Architecture and Design
• Arts (fine arts, dance, theatre, visual arts, music, museology)
• Dentistry
• Economic and Social Sciences (business administration, accounting, sociology, economics)
• Engineering (civil, electrical, geodesic, industrial, petroleum, chemical, mechanical)
• Humanities and Education
• Law and Political Sciences
• Medicine (including bioanalysis, nursing, nutrition)
• Sciences (biology, computer science, physics, mathematics, chemistry, anthropology)
• Veterinary Medicine

These lists are secondary sources; we could not open the university’s own programme pages, so check the faculty for the current degrees.

How much does the University of Zulia cost?

We did not find a tuition rate for any academic year, 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.”^[3] LUZ is a public university.^[6]

The admission office of LUZ states that, in its inclusion policy, the university removed every kind of payment for the document-submission step of people assigned through OPSU.^[4] The page is undated. We found no LUZ page on tuition for foreign students or for postgraduate programmes, so ask the Secretaría. For living costs see our Venezuela guide.

How do you apply to the University of Zulia?

The Secretaría handles admission. School-leavers who have never studied at a university first go through the national system SNI of the planning office OPSU. Those assigned to LUZ then create a document-submission request on the admission site, print the form and submit their documents at the place and time shown on it.^[8] For 2026–2027 LUZ has opened the admission process for assigned applicants.^[9]

Foreign students under the regional conventions

The convention route covers the signatories of the Andrés Bello Convention (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico and Venezuela) and of the Latin America and Caribbean convention (among them Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela). The page lists eight steps, summarised here:^[5]

1. Have the original birth certificate, bachillerato diploma and certified school grades legalised at the Venezuelan consulate of your country; add an official translation if they are not in Spanish.
2. Obtain a resident visa at the Venezuelan consulate.
3. Have the diploma validated (reválida) as a Venezuelan bachillerato at the Zona Educativa-Zulia of the Ministry of Education.
4. Register in the SNI of OPSU and print the participation certificate.
5. If OPSU assigns you, complete the LUZ admission process online; if not, download the request form and the nomination letter for foreign students from the admission site and submit them to the Secretaría at the rectorate.

The page has no date, so confirm each step with the Secretaría. We give no dates because they change every year.

Which language do you need?

The admission pages are in Spanish, and the convention route requires an official translation of documents that are not in Spanish.^[5] We found no English-taught programme and no statement about a language certificate. If you do not speak Spanish, ask the Secretaría before you apply.

More about studying in Venezuela

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

More university profiles in Venezuela

• Central University of Venezuela
• Simón Bolívar University (Venezuela)
• University of the Andes (Venezuela)