The oldest institution of higher education in Nicaragua is the

National Autonomous University of Nicaragua The National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (, UNAN) is a public university in Nicaragua. Its main campus is located in Managua. The original campus, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua-León, UNAN-Leon, is located in León, Nicaragua ...

, which was founded in León in 1812, during the Spanish colonial period. In

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

, there are ten core public and private non-profit universities that receive state funding, and these constitute the members of the National Council of Universities.Tunnermann Bernheim C, La educación superior en Nicaragua. Avaliação, 13:2, 2008, This body is responsible for strategic planning for higher education in Nicaragua, and it is also the organization that provide accreditation to other universities.The Europa World of Learning 2010. Volume 2, 60th edition. P. 1500-1502 The members of the National Council of Universities are the oldest universities in Nicaragua, with the last one founded in 1992. Since the early 1990s, a large number of new private universities have been established in Nicaragua, responding to a greatly increased educational demand fueled by the increasing student enrollment in elementary and secondary schools during the 1980s. Most private universities that are not part of the National Council of Universities are members of either the Federation of Nicaraguan Private Universities (FENUP) or the Superior Council of Private Universities (COSUP). The major focus of these private universities are on business, computers and law, but together they span most areas of academic study. The majority of higher education institutions are in

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

. Higher education has financial, organic and administrative autonomy, according to the law. Also, freedom of subjects is recognized. Nicaragua's higher education system consists of 58 universities, and 113 colleges and technical institutes in the areas of

electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

computer systems A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

and

sciences Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

agroforestry Agroforestry (also known as agro-sylviculture or forest farming) is a land use management system that integrates trees with crops or pasture. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies. As a polyculture system, an agroforestry system c ...

, construction and trade-related services. In 2005, almost 400,000 (7%) of Nicaraguans held a

university degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...

Academic degrees

Admission to higher education is on the basis of the ''Bachillerato'', the leading

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

qualification. Students are also subject to an entrance examination. The ''Licenciado'' (or ''Ingenierio'' in the case of engineering programs), is the main

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

degree and a four or five-year course of study. A professional title may also be awarded depending on the subject. Following the ''Licenciado'', the first

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

degree is the ''Maestria'', which lasts two years and culminates with the submission of a

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

. Institutions of higher learning also offer two or three year courses in

technical Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical area, an area which a manager, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a football match * Technical advisor, a person who ...

and

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people for a skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self employed with req ...

. The main qualification studied for is the ''Técnico Superior''.

List of universities

This is a list of the 58

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

accredited by the National Council of Universities in

.Instituciones legalmente acreditadas por el CNU al 01/12/2008
/ref> Notes: *Names in bold indicates that the university is a member of the National Council of Universities (CNU). *Main campus first on universities with multiple locations.

References

{{North America topic, List of universities in

Universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Nicaragua, list of schools in

br>Sitio Oficial UNIAG

Academic degrees

List of universities

See also

References