Recognition of Degrees in Colombia
What is Degree Validation?
If you have foreign studies and decide to come to Colombia, you must go through a process to legally validate your degree through degree validation. This is the way to obtain recognition for a higher education degree. Once you complete this recognition process, your degree will have the same validity as one obtained in Colombia. In Colombia, everything related to degree validation is regulated by Resolution 10687 of October 9, 2019.
This process is only necessary if you wish to work in the public sector or if your employer requires it. Generally, it is up to the employer to decide whether or not to impose this requirement. Additionally, there are certain professions where validation is always necessary for professional practice in Colombia.
Advantages of the Process:
- Enables professional practice in the public sector.
- Allows participation in public tenders.
- Qualifies you to work in a regulated profession.
Not only undergraduate degrees can be validated, but also technical, technological, master’s, medical specialization, and doctoral degrees.
To complete this process, follow these steps:
- Create an account on the Higher Education Validation Information System.
- Fill out the form and attach the required documents. At this stage, you must pay a fee of COP 697,000 for undergraduate, technical, or technological degrees and COP 792,003 for postgraduate degrees.
- The Ministry of Education will review the documents and may ask you to correct the form or upload any missing documents.
- The Ministry will also check that the signatures and documents are legal.
- They will verify your eligibility based on the applicable validation criteria.
- You will receive a decision and notification regarding your application.
There are three types of accreditation, which may affect the time required for a decision.
Accreditation of high-quality recognition: This applies to degrees from institutions with high-quality accreditation. The issuing institution determines the type of application. The process will take no more than 60 days.
Administrative Precedent Criterion: This applies when the degree to be validated matches Colombian degrees but is not offered in Colombia. The process will take no more than 120 calendar days, starting from the next business day after the application is submitted.
Academic Evaluation Criterion: This involves a comprehensive analysis of the degree, including content, program hours, duration, and mode of study. If high-quality accreditation or administrative precedent is not applicable, this criterion will be used for validation.
The decision for this process will be made within 180 calendar days from the next business day after the application is submitted.
General Requirements:
-
Application form.
-
Identification document, which may be:
- Colombian citizenship card.
- Foreign ID card.
- Valid passport.
- Special Stay Permit (for Venezuelan nationals).
-
Degree or diploma.
-
If the document is not in Spanish, it must be translated by an official translator.
Documentation:
- Identification document.
- Diploma or degree.
- Transcript of courses including completed credits, which must be apostilled and legalized.
- Certified grades, apostilled, and legalized.
- Academic program, including descriptions of courses, content, study mode, number of credits, program duration, and number of hours (indicating whether they were theoretical, practical, or both). This does not need to be apostilled.
Additional specific requirements apply for certain degrees:
-
Law
- Must complete the following subjects at a Colombian university: Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Labor Procedure.
-
Health-related degrees
- Must provide a certified and apostilled document verifying completion of professional internships or rotations.
-
Public Accounting
- Must complete the following subjects at a Colombian university: Commercial Law, Tax Law, Labor Law, Accounting Standards, and Concepts on International Financial Reporting Standards.
-
Degrees in education or pedagogy
- Must provide a certificate from the educational institution that trained the applicant, verifying practical experience in educational environments, teaching in classrooms, and the development of educational projects.
Process
- Visit the Ministry of Education’s website at www.mineducacion.gov.co and select the "validations" tab. This will redirect you to a section where you must click on "higher education validation."
- Create an account on the system and complete the form, where you can upload the required documents.
- Pay the validation application fee.
- You can check the status of your application using the same account created to access the system.
References:
[1] Process Guide
[2] Resolution 10687
[3] List of Regulated Professions