Universidad de Cuenca

The Universidad de Cuenca is a public university in Cuenca, a city declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in the province of Azuay, Ecuador. It was created by a legislative decree of the Ecuadorian Congress in October 1867 and, according to the university, is the second-oldest university in the country. It has 12 faculties and 56 undergraduate degree programmes in the arts, humanities, social sciences, health sciences, engineering and technology, spread over six campuses: Central, Balzay, Paraíso, Yanuncay, Centro Histórico and Huayna Cápac.

• Undergraduate degree programmes (carreras de grado)
• Technical and technological programmes at the UCuencaTEC unit (Salvador Allende)
• Postgraduate studies: master's degrees, specialisations and doctorates
• Continuing education
• Language courses, including intensive courses and Spanish courses

Admission to undergraduate programmes follows the national process for public higher education: applicants register on the platform of the Ministry of Education (MINEDEC), apply to a programme through the university's platform and sit an admission exam on campus. Music and performing arts programmes require an extra aptitude exam. The current admission information applies to the September 2026 to February 2027 academic period. A second degree programme is not tuition-free.