University rankings: Colombia falls from the world's top list. Which are the best institutions?

The QS Quacquarelli Symonds firm published its new World University Rankings 2026, considered the most prestigious university ranking in the world, listing the best universities in the world for the coming year (published one year in advance). This time, the list shows a negative balance for Colombia, which ranked a total of 13 institutions, a sharp drop compared to last year.

This reflects a sharp decline in the number of Colombian institutions ranked, given that last year only 24 establishments had achieved qualification, meaning that 12 no longer appear on the list.

Colombia's leading university, the Universidad de Los Andes, has dropped from 179th to 212th place after two years in the top 200, marking the first time in four years that it has dropped in the ranking.

Close behind are the National University, ranked 259th worldwide, and the Javeriana University, ranked 371st worldwide.

With this, Colombia records a net decline rate of -38% in this edition , reflecting a broader trend across Latin America, which has seen 50% of its universities drop in the table and three universities leave the top 100. The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) is now the only Latin American university in the top 100.

Despite this, Colombia remains one of the strongest higher education systems in Latin America, ranking fifth in total number of ranked universities and among the top 500 in the region, behind Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina.

This is another setback, because the country was the third most important in the region in the last edition.

Regarding this, Ben Sowter, QS Research Director, stated: “Colombian universities, like the Latin American region in general, face challenges in this edition, primarily in areas such as research and attracting global talent. However, there are many opportunities to reverse this fate through targeted funding, international mobility incentives, and research partnerships.”

Sowter continued: “In a global higher education landscape where traditional study destinations appear to be re-evaluating policies surrounding student mobility, new opportunities are presenting themselves for emerging destinations like Colombia to attract global talent and establish themselves as leaders in knowledge and research.”

A closer look reveals that the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and the University of Antioquia are the only Colombian universities to climb in this edition, ranking 371st and 789th, respectively. Both have improved in the Sustainability indicators, while the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana has also improved in Academic Reputation and Faculty/Student Ratio.

Despite this, of the 13 Colombian universities ranked, seven fell in the ranking and four remained stable in their ranks or bands.

The Universidad de Los Andes Colombia is a national leader in five indicators. It is the most highly regarded Colombian university among international academics, ranking among the top 100 in the world in the Academic Reputation indicator (92nd). It performs particularly well in Employment Outcomes, where it is ranked 35th worldwide, the fourth highest in Latin America, and the highest ranking in Colombia in any individual indicator.

Although it also produces the most influential research in the country, its 936th ranking in Citations per Professor reflects a challenge for Colombian higher education in producing high-impact, widely cited research.

Similarly, with no institutions among the top 1,000 in terms of International Student Enrollment Ratio, the country is lacking in terms of campus diversity and attracting global talent.

The National University of Colombia is the only other Colombian university ranked among the top 100 in any indicator, ranking 69th in Employer Reputation, suggesting it enjoys small class sizes and strong teaching resources. It is also ranked 94th in Academic Reputation.

Overall, Colombia has recorded net declines across all indicators, particularly in Employer Reputation, Citations per Professor, and International Student-Faculty Ratio, where all its universities have dropped in the rankings.

On the contrary, the country exceeds the world average in both Reputation and Employment Outcomes indicators. It also surpasses the Latin American average in Sustainability.

As in previous editions, only Los Andes and La Nacional appear among the top 10 in Latin America, although both dropped in the regional ranking this time compared to last year. The regional ranking is completed by institutions from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.

The QS World University Ranking 2026 places the University of Buenos Aires as the continent's top university, retaining the status it lost to the University of São Paulo in the ranking two years ago. It is ranked 84th worldwide, so although it drops thirteen places, it remains the only university from the region in the world's top 100.

The results show that the continent's higher education system continues to lag behind its global counterparts and, on average, has lost more ground in the last year: 50 percent of the region's universities fell in ranking, and three institutions that were previously among the top 100 are no longer there.

So, this is the top 100 of the best universities in Latin America:

Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) remains the world's top university. Imperial College London of the United Kingdom is in second place, while Stanford University now holds third place, displacing the University of Oxford and Harvard in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

MATEO CHACÓN ORDUZ | Deputy Editor, Life Today - Education