The rankings were published by Times Higher Education magazine (UK). Accordingly, the top are Brazilian universities in the group of leading schools in Latin America.
Brazil has spent a lot of money on educational research and development programs. In addition, Brazil's charter universities have more competitive advantages. These schools both take advantage of financial resources from the government and at the same time exploit revenue from students.
In this article, we will introduce the top 10 best universities in Latin America for your reference.
1. University of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
The University of São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution. USP is involved in teaching, research and university extension in all areas of knowledge, offering a broad range of courses.
The university was founded in 1934, regrouping already existing schools in the state of São Paulo, such as the Faculdade de Direito do Largo de São Francisco (Faculty of Law), the Escola Politécnica (Engineering School) and the Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (College of Agriculture). And has subsequently created new departments, becoming one of the largest institutions of higher education in Latin America, with approximately 90,000 enrolled students. Currently, it has eleven campuses, four of them in the city of São Paulo. The remaining campuses are in the cities of Bauru, Lorena, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirão Preto and two in São Carlos.
Several students from the University of São Paulo have achieved important positions in Brazilian society. It was the alma mater of thirteen Brazilian presidents, such as Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Michel Temer. In terms of research, the USP is Brazil's largest research institution, producing more than 25% of the scientific papers published by Brazilian researchers in high quality conferences and journals.
According to ARWU, the USP was classified in the first place, regarding the number of doctorates awarded during 2011. USP is ranked among the top 70 universities in the world, in the Ranking "Top Universities by Reputation 2013" published by Times Higher Education. According to the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities, the USP is placed in the group of the 101–151 top world universities. According to the 2020 CWTS Leiden Ranking, the University of São Paulo is ranked 7th in the world. In the 2024 QS World University Rankings, the University of São Paulo ranked 85th in the world and is ranked 1st in Latin America. As of 2021, the University of São Paulo is the first Latin American institution in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings to be ranked at 201-250th.
2. Campinas State University (Brazil)
The State University of Campinas is a public research university in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
Established in 1962, Unicamp was designed from scratch as an integrated research center unlike other top Brazilian universities, usually created by the consolidation of previously existing schools and institutes. Its research focus reflects on almost half of its students being graduate students, the largest proportion across all large universities in Brazil, and also in the large number of graduate programs it offers: 153 compared to 70 undergraduate programs. It also offers several non-degree granting open-enrollment courses to around 8,000 students through its extension school.
Its main campus occupies 3.5 square kilometers (860 acres) located in the district of Barão Geraldo, a suburban area 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from the downtown center of Campinas, built shortly after the creation of the university. It also has satellite campuses in Limeira, Piracicaba and Paulínia, and manages two technical high schools located in Campinas and Limeira.
3. Catholic University of Chile (Chile)
The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC or UC Chile) is a traditional private university based in Santiago, Chile. It is one of the thirteen Catholic universities existing in the Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical universities in the country, along with the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso. Founded in 1888, it is one of Chile's oldest universities and one of the most recognized educational institutions in Latin America.
UC ranks among the first 10 Latin-American Universities according to the Shanghai ranking, UC appears top in two subject rankings: it ranks around 101–150 in Economics and Management and around 151–200 in Mathematics.
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile has been ranked as the best university in Latin America by two of the world's most prestigious University rankings, the QS World University Rankings (in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023) and the Times Higher Education University Rankings (2019 and 2020).
4. University of Chile (Chile)
The University of Chile is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843. It is the oldest in the country. It was established as the continuation of the former colonial Royal University of San Felipe (1738), and has a rich history in academic, scientific and social outreach. The university seeks to solve national and regional issues and to contribute to the development of Chile. It is recognized as one of the best universities in Latin America for its leadership and innovation in science, technology, social sciences, and arts through the functions of creation, extension, teaching, and research. It is considered the most important and prestigious university in the country.
Its five campuses comprise more than 3.1 square kilometers (1.2 sq mi) of research buildings, health care centers, museums, theaters, observatories, and sports infrastructure. The institution has more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, offering more than 60 different bachelor and professional degrees, 38 doctoral programs and 116 master programs.
Notable alumni include Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, twenty-one Chilean presidents including the current president Gabriel Boric, and two presidents from other countries (Mexico and Ecuador).
The QS University Ranking ranks the University of Chile as the fourth in Latin America and 180 in the world for the year 2021. The school boasts an outstanding 100 points in both Academic and Employer Reputation categories. The world ranking of universities, elaborated by Shanghai JiaoTong University (China) and the European Union based on research sciences indicators, places it among the 400 best universities in the world. SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) makes a characterization of institutions based on research, innovation and visibility on the web, and in 2017 report on investigation, which included more than 4,500 institutions of higher education and other centers in the world, the University of Chile ranked first in Chile, 10 in Latin America and 424 in the world.
In the 2016 version of the ranking made by AméricaEconomía, University of Chile was ranked first in Chile with the top rating in quality indicators of research, accreditation, infrastructure and inclusion.
5. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the country and is one of the Brazilian centers of excellence in teaching and research.
The university is located mainly in Rio de Janeiro, with satellites spreading to ten other cities. Its main campuses are the historical campus of "Praia Vermelha" (Red Beach) and the newer "Cidade Universitária" (College City), which houses the "Parque Tecnológico do Rio" (Technology Park of Rio) - a science, technology and innovation development cluster. There are also several off-campus units scattered in Rio de Janeiro: the School of Music, the College of Law Studies, the Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences and the Institute of History, in downtown Rio; the National Museum and the Valongo Observatory (not to be confused with the National Observatory); and the high-school unit "Colégio de Aplicação" (Application College) in Lagoa.
UFRJ is one of the main actors in the formation of the Brazilian intellectual elite, contributing significantly to build not only the history of Rio de Janeiro but also of Brazil. Some of its former students include renowned economists Carlos Lessa and Mário Henrique Simonsen; Minister Marco Aurélio Mello; the architect Oscar Niemeyer; the philosopher and politician Roberto Mangabeira Unger; the educator Anísio Teixeira; the engineer Benjamin Constant; writers Clarice Lispector, Jorge Amado and Vinicius de Moraes; politicians Francisco Pereira Passos, Oswaldo Aranha and Pedro Calmon, besides the great physicians Carlos Chagas, Oswaldo Cruz and Vital Brazil.
6. Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro is a Jesuit, Catholic, pontifical university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the joint responsibility of the Catholic Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and the Society of Jesus. In 2022, PUC-Rio was ranked as the tenth best university in Latin America by Times Higher Education magazine.
The University was created in 1941 by the Society of Jesus to emphasize humanistic values in the pursuit of knowledge. PUC-Rio has 12,000 undergraduate students, 2,500 graduate students, and 4,000 extension students. In 2009 it ranked first among 2,252 higher education institutions in Brazil on ENADE, a benchmark exercise run by the Brazilian Ministry of Education.
PUC-Rio has highly accredited faculties in law, engineering, computer science, psychology, economics, business, and international relations. It fosters cultural diversity in its student body. It has participated in exchange programs with Harvard, Notre Dame, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Brown University as well as European universities, with hundreds of students participating each year.
7. Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil)
The Federal University of Minas Gerais is a federal research university located in the state of Minas Gerais. Its main and biggest campus is located in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It is one of Brazil's five largest and highest-ranked universities, being the largest federal university. It offers 79 undergraduate education programs, upon completion of their curricular schedule the student is awarded either a bachelor's degree, a licentiate degree, or a professional title (the latter usually applies to regulated health professions), all officialized by the issue of a university diploma. It also has 90 postgraduate education programs, awarding 30 postbaccalaureate specialization degrees, 92 master's degrees, and 72 doctoral degrees, as well as 41 medical residency programs offered at UFMG's hospital facilities complexes.
Its undergraduate courses were ranked 1st place in the 2007 results of the Student's National Performance Exam (ENADE). UFMG is the fifth best university in Latin America, according to the 2021 Times Higher Education ranking, and the 3rd best university in Brazil. UFMG's communication, psychology and management degrees, among others, were also elected as the best in the country and almost all undergraduate courses offered by the institution rank in the top 5 when compared to their counterparts in other Brazilian universities. Furthermore, the university is the highest ranking Brazilian university in terms of quality of education and second place when it comes to recognition in the job market.
The faculty members (professors and lecturers) of the Federal University of Minas Gerais are hosted by departments. The departments are administered by one of three types of collegiate units: Schools, Faculties, and Institutes. Administratively, Schools, Faculties, and Institutes enjoy an equivalent executive status as Academic Units under the university, so they provide no practical difference among each other in administrative terms. They are the main Colleges of the university.
8. Monterrey Institute of Technology (Mexico)
Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education is a private research university based in Monterrey, Mexico, which has grown to include 35 campuses throughout the country.
Founded in 1943 by Eugenio Garza Sada, an MIT-educated industrialist, the university has always had close links with the Mexican business elite; as of 2019, it is the 15th university in the world with the highest number of billionaire alumni according to the Times Higher Education and the only university in Latin America to appear in the ranking. ITESM is also known as being the first university to be connected to the Internet in Ibero-America, having the top-ranked business school in the region according to the Economist, and being one of the leaders in patent applications among Mexican universities. The medical school offers the only MD-PhD program available in Mexico, in partnership with the Houston Methodist Hospital.
There are thirty-one campuses of the Institute distributed in twenty-five Mexican cities. Each campus is relatively independent but shares a national academic curriculum (see Academics). The flagship campus is located in Monterrey, where the national, system-wide rectorate is located. Most of them deliver both high school and undergraduate education, some offer postgraduate programs and only eight (Cumbres, Eugenio Garza Sada, Eugenio Garza Lagüera, Santa Catarina, Metepec, Santa Anita, Esmeralda and Valle Alto) deliver high school courses exclusively, curricular and extension courses and seminars are usually available at most facilities.
9. National Autonomous University of Mexico (Mexico)
The National Autonomous University of Mexico is a public research university in Mexico. The campus also hosted the main events of the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. All Mexican Nobel laureates are alumni or faculty of UNAM. UNAM is known for its rigorous admissions, with acceptance rates often under 10%. Its research and education are also globally recognized for their excellence and impact. UNAM was founded, in its modern form, on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a secular alternative to its predecessor, the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (the first Western-style university in North America, founded in 1551). UNAM was also the birthplace of the student movement of 1968.
10. University of the Andes (Colombia)
The University of the Andes is a private research university located in the city center of Bogotá, Colombia. Founded in 1948 by a group of Colombian intellectuals led by Mario Laserna Pinzón.
The university is academically composed of nine schools, three special academic entities—the Alberto Lleras Camargo School of Government, the Center for Research and Training in Education, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Development Studies and a joint academic venture with the medical institution Santa Fe de. With 31 undergraduate, 18 doctoral, and 38 graduate degree-granting programs in areas of human knowledge such as medicine, engineering, science, law and others.
As of 2011, the university had produced 128 research groups recognized by Colciencias, most of them in the social sciences, mathematics, physics and engineering. By 2017, the number of groups recognized by Colciencias had increased to 153 research groups. It is one of the few Colombian universities to have received the maximum high quality institutional accreditation by the Colombian Ministry of Education, given in January 2015.
Universidad de los Andes has been consistently ranked as the best university in Colombia and has been considered one of the top 5 Latin American universities and one of the top 200 in the world.
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