The 2025-2 edition of the U-Sapiens ranking presented the updated list of the best universities in Colombia in the field of research.
The report, which was released in the last week of November, evaluated 367 institutions in the country, but only 71 of them met the requirements to appear in the rankings.
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The classification qualifies universities according to their scientific productionThe number of active graduate programs and the number of recognized research groups.
Sapiens Research, the company responsible for the rankings, uses three key indicators to determine where each university stands: Indexed scientific journals, active master’s and doctoral programs, and research groups classified by MinCiencias.
The methodology requires that institutions meet all three indicators simultaneously, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between university and research.
In the latest edition, the National University of Colombia (headquarters in Bogotá) tops the list, with more than 150 indexed publications and high scores in its graduate programs and research groups.
It is followed by the University of Antioquia in second place and the University of the Andes in third place.
They completed the top 10 universities with the best performance:
- National University of Colombia – Bogota, capital
- University of Antioquia – Medellin, Antioquia
- University of Los Andes – Bogotá, DC
- Universidad del Valle – Cali, Valle del Cauca
- Javeriana University – Bogota, capital
- National University of Colombia – Medellin, Antioquia
- Santander Industrial University – Bucaramanga, Santander
- Pontifical Bolivarian University – Medellin, Antioquia
- Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (UPTC) – Tunja, Boyaca
- Universidad del Norte – Barranquilla, Atlantico
The ranking shows Columbia University of Education and Technology (UPTC) rising to ninth place and An upgrade from Universidad de la Sabana which is now in 11th place. The University of Del Rosario team dropped to twelfth place.
The following positions, up to 25th, include institutions such as:
- University of La Sabana – Chia, Cundinamarca.
- Universidad del Rosario – Bogotá, DC
- University of Caldas – Manizales, Caldas
- Colombia External University – Bogotá, DC
- University of Cartagena – Cartagena, Bolivar.
- Francisco Jose de Caldas Provincial University – Bogotá, DC
- Yvette University – Medellin, Antioquia.
- Military University of Nueva Granada – Bogota, capital
- University of Santo Tomas – Bogotá, DC
- University of Bosque – Bogota, capital
- ICESI University – Cali, Valle del Cauca.
- Simón Bolívar University – Barranquilla, Atlantico.
- Universidad del Atlantico – Barranquilla, Atlantico.
- CES University – Medellin, Antioquia.
- La Costa University – Barranquilla, Atlantico.
The U-Sapiens classification methodology is detailed as follows:
- Indexed journals (RevI): Consideration of scientific publications recognized in categories A1, A2, B and C of the National Bibliographic Index. This parameter measures the quantity and quality of the institution’s scientific production.
- Active Postgraduate Grades (PosG): Evaluation of master’s and doctoral programs that accept new students and have mandatory official records with the Ministry of National Education. It reflects the university’s ability to train researchers and professionals at advanced levels.
- Research Groups (GruP): Includes groups classified by MinCiencias as A1, A, B and C. This indicator measures the structure of institutional research and the potential for developing scientific and technological projects.
The ranking includes only universities with proven performance in the three indicatorsThis ensures that the analysis reflects the true research strength of each institution.
The taxonomy has different uses for diverse audiences such as:
- Identify areas of improvement in scientific production.
- Consolidation of research groups or graduate offerings.
- Students can use the information when choosing where to pursue their master’s or doctoral degrees or participate in research projects.
In the Latin American panorama, Colombian universities maintain a high level of representation in the regional classification prepared by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
This list includes 67 universities in Colombia, which places the country in the It ranks second in the region in terms of the number of ranked institutions, equal to Mexico and surpassed only by BrazilWhich scored 130.
Despite this presence, 38% of Colombian institutions lost positions, 8% rose and the remaining 54% remained unchanged compared to previous editions.
Among the Colombian universities highlighted in the QS rankings are the University of the Andes, the National University of Colombia, the Universidad Papuña Javeriana, the University of Antioquia, the Universidad del Rosario, the Universidad de La Sabana, IFET, the Universidad del Norte, the Universidad del Valle, the External University of Colombia, the Pontifical University Bolivariana, and the Industrial University of Colombia. Santander (UIS).
Among the prominent movements, The University of La Sabana moved up from 36th to 34th in the QS rankingsWhile the Pontifical Bolivarian University moved from 84th to 80th place. The University of Medellin made further progress, improving from 148th to 140th place.
These results provide researchers, teachers and students with a tool to monitor the current landscape and compare the research capacity and performance of universities in Colombia.