Universities in Nicaragua

Nicaragua, known officially as the Republic of Nicaragua, is a country located in Central America, the largest country in the Central American isthmus with a total geographic area of just over 50,190 square miles.  The nation is bordered to the north by Honduras, to the south by Costa Rica, and is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics.  To the east of Nicaragua lies the Caribbean Sea and to the west the Pacific Ocean, an area in which you will also find two of the largest fresh water lakes in Central America:  Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua.  Managua is the capital and largest city in Nicaragua and the official language is Spanish, which is used in all official capacities in the country, including government, media, commerce, and as the language of instruction in Nicaraguan schools and universities.
 
Higher Education in Nicaragua
 
Higher education in Nicaragua is under the supervision of the national government.  However, the institutions of higher learning in the country have financial, organic and administrative autonomy under the law and are not bound by any national curriculum.
 
Most institutions of higher learning in Nicaragua are located in and around the capital city of Managua, and the system of higher or tertiary education consists of 48 universities, 113 colleges and numerous technical institutes.  Although the language of instruction at most institutions is Spanish, Nicaragua’s system of higher education also consists of one U.S. accredited English-language university, 3 bilingual university programs and dozens of English language institutes.  The government of Nicaragua allocates 18 percent of its total budget to education, with 6 percent dedicated to higher education.  According to statistics from the 2010 census, nearly 400,000 of Nicaragua’s 6 million residents have earned at least an undergraduate degree.
 
Most of the technical institutes in Nicaragua are fairly new to the country’s system of higher education, but they have rapidly become very popular among students as a means toward acquiring professional skills.  The schools typically focus on one or more technical or vocational disciplines, and the instruction is geared towards training students to enter the workforce in their chosen field.  Some of the subjects these institutes center on include electronics, computer systems and IT, social, physical and behavioral sciences, agro-forestry, construction and numerous trade-related services.
 
The colleges and universities in Nicaragua have a credit and degree structure that is very similar to the country’s North American neighbors.  Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degrees are usually the focus at the undergraduate level, with programs that typically span 4 to 5 years depending on the field of study.  Students who have earned a Bachelor Degree and wish to continue their studies are eligible to apply for admission into one of the many Master’s degree programs the country offers, most of which take 2 to 3 years to complete.  Doctorate or PhD degrees, as well as specialty degrees in fields such as medicine, law, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and dentistry, are also offered at a select number of Nicaraguan universities.
 
Although the system of higher education has undergone many improvements in recent years, only a small percentage of students, mostly those of wealthy families, are able to pursue a degree. Like many Central American countries, Nicaragua is very poor, with a large percentage of its citizens living at or below the poverty line.  As a result, many children forgo their education altogether to help support the family financially, and most of those that do attend primary school as children rarely complete their studies and move on to secondary school.  To address this, the government has sponsored a number of literarcy campaigns, but despite their efforts the adult literacy rate in Nicaragua is still below 70 percent.