Founded on November 16, 1948, by a group of young people led by Mario Laserna Pinzón, the Universidad de los Andes is the first private institution of higher education in Colombia, secular and independent of political parties, unrelated to defending the interests of any social or economic group.

These characteristics made Universidad de los Andes an innovative educational project at a pivotal moment in the country's history, when private universities often reflected partisan strife within their classrooms.

In this historical context, "the birth of Los Andes was not only driven by the desire to establish another university or purely educational interests, but by the intention to create a new country. To the purpose of forming and educating new generations to build a new nation," as stated by Francisco Pizano de Brigard, former rector of the University.

Therefore, since its inception, the purpose of Los Andes has been to provide an excellent education that contributes to bridging Colombia's knowledge gap with the scientific advancements of the world.

With its pioneering vision — later adopted by other Colombian universities — Uniandes began operations in 1949 with seven programs, seventy-nine students, and sixteen professors. Currently, it offers 121 programs (thirty-one undergraduate programs, seventeen doctoral programs, thirty-six master's programs, and thirty-seven specializations); serves 16,900 students (undergraduate, master's, specialization, and doctoral); and employs 1,946 professors (604 full-time faculty, 587 equivalent full-time faculty, and 755 adjunct faculty). Additionally, it hosts 178 research groups, holds 351,989 volumes in its library system, and approximately 2,100 computers in its computer labs.

UniAndes according to QS Ranking: