Universities in Montevideo, Uruguay

Montevideo is Uruguay's capital and its university city. According to the final results of the 2023 census by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), it has 1,302,721 inhabitants, out of 3,499,451 in the whole country. Almost all of Uruguay's universities have their main campus here, so students from the rest of the country and abroad come to Montevideo for a degree.

Teaching is in Spanish, and the academic year follows the southern-hemisphere calendar: degree programmes start in March. For international students, Montevideo combines a free public university with several private universities that run exchange programmes and Spanish courses.

What the universities in Montevideo offer

• Universidad de la República (Udelar): the country's public university, founded on 18 July 1849. It describes itself as Uruguay's main institution of higher education and research, with more than 160,000 students, more than 140 open and free undergraduate programmes (carreras de grado) and more than 130 master's and doctoral programmes. It is autonomous and co-governed by students, teachers and graduates.
• Universidad Católica del Uruguay (UCU): a private Catholic university with campuses in Montevideo, Salto and Punta del Este, and a business school (UCU Business School) that launched what it calls the first Doctorate in Business Administration in Uruguay.
• Universidad ORT Uruguay: a private university with faculties of business and social sciences, architecture, communication, design and engineering. It welcomes students from abroad for an exchange semester, to learn Spanish or to take a full degree, and it is an exam centre for the DELE (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera).
• Universidad de Montevideo (UM): a private university linked to Opus Dei, with programmes in business and economics, law, engineering, communication, humanities and psychology, and the IEEM business school. It takes part in Erasmus+ and runs an exchange programme with partner universities.
• Universidad de la Empresa (UDE): a private university created with the backing of the Asociación de Dirigentes de Marketing (ADM) and Uruguay's main business chambers. It has faculties of agricultural sciences, education, health sciences, business, law, design and communication, and engineering, with campuses in central Montevideo and in the residential district of Pocitos.

Costs

Udelar's undergraduate programmes are free of charge. The private universities charge fees (usually in monthly instalments); ORT, for example, offers a 50% discount on the first instalment for early enrolment and has scholarships for undergraduate programmes. Ask each university for its current fees and scholarships for foreign students.

For getting around, a one-hour bus ticket paid with the STM transport card costs $52 (Uruguayan pesos), according to the Intendencia de Montevideo in October 2026.

Admission for international students

Under a 2021 resolution, students who completed secondary school abroad can enter the first year of any Udelar degree programme without first having their secondary studies revalidated. Documents from abroad must be apostilled or legalised, and documents not issued in Spanish need a translation by a sworn public translator registered in Uruguay. Students with previous university studies abroad can apply for entry by revalidation. Udelar has an office that informs, advises and supports foreign and migrant students.

At the private universities, exchange students apply through their home university if it has an agreement with the Uruguayan university; degree-seeking students apply directly to the admissions office.

Practical tips

• Plan around the calendar: the academic year starts in March, and private universities take early enrolments from the previous spring
• Start the apostille and translation of your school certificates early, as Udelar will not accept documents from abroad without them
• If your Spanish is not yet strong, some universities offer Spanish courses for foreigners; ORT also runs DELE exams
• Check with your home university whether it has an exchange agreement with UM, ORT or another Montevideo university

Frequently asked questions

Is university free in Montevideo?

At the public Universidad de la República, undergraduate degree programmes are open and free of charge. Private universities such as UCU, ORT, UM and UDE charge tuition fees.

Can foreign students study at the Universidad de la República?

Yes. Since a 2021 resolution, students who finished secondary school abroad can enter the first year without prior revalidation, provided their documents are apostilled or legalised and, if needed, translated by a Uruguayan public translator.

In which language are university courses taught in Montevideo?

Degree programmes are taught in Spanish. Exchange students can combine regular courses with Spanish courses for foreigners at universities such as ORT.

When does the academic year start in Uruguay?

Degree programmes start in March; ORT, for example, is enrolling now for programmes that start in March 2027.