Universidad del Valle Cali

The largest institution of higher education in Colombia is Universidad del Valle Cali (UNIVALLE). It is a public institution that was founded in 1945 as the Industrial University of Valle del Cauca. The current name was assigned a little later. Valle University is geographically located in the city of Cali.

UNIVALLE in the national ranking is in the TOP 10 best institutions, taking 8th place. In the international ranking is on 845 positions. Institution is popular among applicants.

During the period of its operation, the school has a large list of outstanding graduates. Among them:

• Narino Antonio Navarro Wolf (Governor);
• Gustavo Alvarez Gardezabal (former Governor of Valle del Cauca);
• Sabas Pacelitte de la Vega (former Minister of the Interior and Justice, as well as the Ambassador of Colombia to Italy);
• Sócrates Herrera Valencia (Head of the University’s Institute of Immunology and creator of the synthetic vaccine against malaria);
• Raul Cuero (Biotechnology Researcher at the University of Texas A & M and NASA);
• Antonio Dorado (film director);
• Carlos Moreno (filmmaker).

This is only a part of famous personalities. It is worth noting that some of the talented graduates subsequently became teachers of the institution.

Universidad del Valle Cali owns the following campuses:

• The campus of Melendez, the main campus of 1,000,000 m2, is considered the largest in Colombia. It unites over 30 objects, including the main library, a sports center, playgrounds, an Olympic swimming pool and 4 tennis courts.
• Campus San Fernando - the area of 39 960 m2.
• Campus La Carbonera - an area of 50 000 m2.

The institution has 53 student groups and organizations involved in scientific, as well as environmental, social and sports activities. The most significant student groups: the folk dance group “Carmen Lopez”, the troupe of storytellers “El Perol” and the choir “Koro Magno”. The school has men's and women's teams in basketball, beach and indoor volleyball, cycling, futsal, judo, karate, rugby, football, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, light and weightlifting, and triathlon, billiards and chess. The university also participates in small invitation tournaments such as CUAO, ICESI, Javeriana and Loyola.

The library system of the university is managed by a special department and consists of one specialized library, three central and nine regional, as well as six documentation centers. The Mario Karvajal Library, created according to the technical recommendations of the Rockefeller Foundation, is one of the largest in the country (its area covers 18,000 m2).

To become a student at the University of Valle, an applicant must submit a statement of performance at the previous place of study. You will also need to pass the entrance exam. Both local residents and foreign citizens can apply for admission. The university has eight faculties and two institutes in which there are 258 academic programs. Of these, 181 are undergraduate programs, 94 are post-graduate departments, and 8 are doctoral studies in research. Geographically, 189 programs are set out in the city of Cali, and the remaining 69 in regional campuses. The duration of the programs is three years for an associate employee, five years for a bachelor’s degree, one and a half years for a higher education diploma, two years for a master’s degree and five years for doctoral studies.

Faculties:

• Administrative sciences;
• Engineering;
• Faculty of Health;
• Humanitarian sciences;
• Integrated art;
• Natural Sciences;
• Exact sciences;
• Social sciencies;
• Economy.

The academic year traditionally consists of two semesters. At the same time, about 28,000 students are studying. There are about 1,250 teachers in the teaching staff.

The university has signed 86 cooperation agreements with educational and government institutions around the world, including 24 agreements with Spanish institutions and 10 with US institutions. Collaborations include exchange of documents, dual degree programs, joint research projects and mobility programs for professors, researchers and students.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision