University of Caldas

Founded in 1943 in Manizales, one of the main cities in Colombia’s "Coffee Triangle", the University of Caldas can trace its roots back to the Instituto Universitario de Caldas set up 30 years earlier.

With a mission emphasising the sustainable development of Central-Western Colombia, it has grown in stages, starting with the addition of faculties of agriculture in 1949 and veterinary Science in 1950, to cover the range of academic disciplines.

Today’s faculties are spread across four campuses in Manizales. The main campus hosts natural and exact sciences and engineering, law and social sciences are based in Pologrande, the faculty of health is in Versalles, agriculture in Sancancio and arts and humanities in Bellas Artes.

Classes are also offered in six regional centres while the "Virtual Campus" offers eight courses including a MOOC which translates as "Coffee : Science, Passion and Perspectives".

Accredited until 2026 as a High Quality University by the Ministry of Education, it was rated 10th nationally and the leading university in its region in Colombia’s Sapiens rankings for 2019. The development plan for the period to 2023 emphasises bilingualism as a means of improving the mobility of both staff and students.

The early months of 2019 saw the university’s researchers claim a national patent for a "vacuum impregnator" which adds beneficial vitamins and minerals to foodstuffs and the opening of the new science centre as a public space enabling exchanges between academics and the community.

Notable alumni include Humberto de la Calle, the former national vice-president.