Universidad de Manizales

Universidad de Manizales (often shortened to UManizales) is a private university in Colombia, headquartered in the Campohermoso neighborhood of Manizales, Caldas. It operates under the inspection and oversight framework of Colombian higher-education law, including Law 30 of 1992 and Law 1740 of 2014, and is supervised by the Ministry of Education of Colombia. The institution traces its origins to 1972, when it was created as Universidad Cooperativa by the Cooperativa para el Fomento de la Educación Superior (COOFES); on 24 July 1972, some 200 students began classes in Public Accounting, Law, Economics and Psychology at the premises of the Instituto Tecnológico Industrial. In 1983 it was renamed Fundación Universitaria de Manizales (FUNDEMA) to reflect a redefined mission and objectives, and on 7 April 1992, by Resolution 2317 of the Ministry of Education, it received recognition as a university and adopted its current name, Universidad de Manizales. The university's main campus is located in the Campohermoso neighborhood, where undergraduate and postgraduate activities take place. It also maintains a Centro de Atención Psicológica (CAP) in the Estrella neighborhood, where Psychology students carry out extension and research activities, as well as a Consultorio Jurídico y Centro de Conciliación. Academically, UManizales is organized into five faculties: Ciencias Contables, Económicas y Administrativas; Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; Ciencias de la Salud; Ciencias Jurídicas; and Ciencias e Ingeniería. Across these faculties it offers technical, technological, undergraduate, specialization, master's and doctoral programs, including Medicine, Law, Psychology, Social Communication and Journalism, Business Administration, Public Accounting, Economics, Marketing, Systems and Telecommunications Engineering, and a range of virtual programs. UManizales presents itself as an accredited institution of high quality. Its official website highlights the renewal of its Acreditación de Alta Calidad for eight years under Resolution 8302 of 22 April 2025, framing quality as an ongoing commitment. The university promotes scholarships and financing options, a virtual campus, distance education through its Centro de Educación a Distancia, internationalization, a library and resource center, MOOC courses, and institutional systems such as SIGUM. It also communicates through its UMedia news platform and engages in community-facing campaigns, such as "UManizales libre de humo porque soy libre," which addresses tobacco, vaping and psychoactive substance use within the university community. The institution also expands its regional presence, as indicated by its outreach to La Dorada for in-person undergraduate study.

Universidad de Manizales was created in 1972 as Universidad Cooperativa by the Cooperativa para el Fomento de la Educación Superior (COOFES). On 24 July 1972, 200 students began classes in Public Accounting, Law, Economics and Psychology at the premises of the Instituto Tecnológico Industrial. In 1983, following a redefinition of its mission and objectives, the institution changed its name to Fundación Universitaria de Manizales (FUNDEMA). On 7 April 1992, by Resolution 2317 of the Ministry of Education, it was granted recognition as a university and adopted the name Universidad de Manizales. The university is a private Colombian institution subject to inspection and oversight under Law 1740 of 2014 and Law 30 of 1992 of the Ministry of Education of Colombia. Its campus is located in the city of Manizales, Caldas. The main campus sits in the Campohermoso neighborhood, where all undergraduate and postgraduate activities take place, and the university also operates a Centro de Atención Psicológica (CAP) in the Estrella neighborhood, where Psychology students carry out extension and research activities. In the 2020s the institution has emphasized quality assurance and regional outreach: its official website highlights the renewal of its Acreditación de Alta Calidad for eight years under Resolution 8302 of 22 April 2025, and promotes in-person undergraduate study in La Dorada as well as scholarships, financing, virtual campus services, distance education, internationalization and MOOC offerings.

• 2025

  High-Quality Accreditation renewed for eight years under Resolution 8302 of 22 April 2025.

• 1992

  On 7 April, Resolution 2317 of the Ministry of Education granted recognition as a university, adopting the name Universidad de Manizales.

• 1983

  Renamed Fundación Universitaria de Manizales (FUNDEMA) after redefining its mission and objectives.

• 1972

  Created as Universidad Cooperativa by the Cooperativa para el Fomento de la Educación Superior (COOFES).

• 1972

  On 24 July, 200 students began classes in Public Accounting, Law, Economics and Psychology at the Instituto Tecnológico Industrial.

A private, high-quality-accredited Colombian university in Manizales offering a broad portfolio of in-person and virtual undergraduate and postgraduate programs, with a focus on regional presence, social projection and healthy-campus initiatives.

• Facultad de Ciencias Contables, Económicas y Administrativas

  Offers programs including Administración de Empresas, Contaduría Pública, Economía, Mercadeo Nacional e Internacional, Finanzas y negocios internacionales, technical programs in customer service and livestock production, and postgraduate specializations, master's and a Doctorado en Desarrollo Sostenible.

• Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas

  Offers Comunicación Social y Periodismo, Licenciatura en educación Básica con Énfasis en Inglés (a distancia) and Psicología, plus specializations, master's programs and doctorates in Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud and Formación en Diversidad.

• Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud

  Offers Medicina General as an undergraduate program and postgraduate specializations in Medicina Crítica y Cuidados Intensivos and Psiquiatría.

• Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas

  Offers Derecho as an undergraduate program, specializations in Seguridad Social, Sistema proceso penal, Contratación pública and Derecho Constitucional y de los Derechos Humanos, plus a Maestría en Derecho and Doctorado en Derecho.

• Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería

  Offers Ingeniería de Sistemas y telecomunicaciones, Tecnología en sistemas de información comerciales para Internet and Técnica profesional en configuración de servicios comerciales web, plus specializations and master's programs in geographic information systems, networks, telecommunications, bioinformatics and computational technology.

• Centro de Atención Psicológica (CAP)

  Located in the Estrella neighborhood, where Psychology students carry out extension and research activities.

• Consultorio Jurídico y Centro de Conciliación

  A legal clinic and conciliation center associated with the university.

1. 1Universidad de Manizales | Acreditada de alta calidadumanizales.edu.co
2. 2Más allá del humo: una conversación sobre tabaco, vapeadores y salud | Universidad de Manizalesumanizales.edu.co
3. 3Universidad de Manizales – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Universidad de Manizales – Wikipedia (es)es.wikipedia.org