Destination Guides

Study in Ecuador

For nature-lovers, Ecuador has always been pretty much impossible to beat. This country in the northwest corner of South America is renowned worldwide for its incredible biodiversity. Add in a vibrant cultural fusion of indigenous, European and African traditions, and the result is a unique study-abroad experience. The Andes mountain range runs through Ecuador, while the Amazon rainforest also takes up a sizeable portion of its land mass.

Ecuador also incorporates the Galapagos Islands, or the Archipiélago de Colón as they are known locally, which are recognized as one of the most biologically unique sites in the world. In fact, the country as a whole is considered to be ‘megadiverse’ – a term used to describe nations with extremely high levels of biodiversity – and is believed to have the world’s highest rate of biodiversity per square kilometre.

Universities in Ecuador

Ecuador has over 70 universities, attended by more than 61,000 students. There are as many as 12 Ecuadorian universities in the QS Latin America University Rankings 2018, with the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito the highest-ranked at joint 57^th in Latin America. With a long history of higher education, Ecuador boasts two Quito-based universities dating back to the 17th century, now merged to form the Universidad Central del Ecuador.

After Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, the remaining universities in Ecuador featured in the top 150 in Latin America are:

Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) (69^th in Latin America, up from joint 116^th last year).
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE) (joint 71^st)
Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE (joint 114^th, up from 201-250 last year)
Universidad de Cuenca (147^th, also up from 201-250).

Find more top universities in Ecuador with the latest QS Latin America University Rankings

Life in Ecuador

The area that is now Ecuador was once the northernmost outpost of the Incan civilization, and it is estimated that this region has been occupied for more than 10 millennia. Two of its largest cities – Cuenca and capital city Quito – have been identified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

As in most Latin American countries, Ecuador has developed a cuisine which draws on a variety of influences. Most dishes centre round meat or fish, depending on your proximity to the coast, with potato, bread, rice, and plantain also featuring regularly.

Spanish is the official language of Ecuador, which is a former Spanish colony, though in some rural areas indigenous languages are widely spoken. Past links with Spain are also evident in the country’s culture – the popular Spanish sport of bullfighting, for example, is also popular in Ecuador.

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Higher education in Ecuador

Ecuador is in the midst of reforming its university system, with the aims of improving higher education standards and making admissions fairer. As of 2012, the country has introduced a standard aptitude test for the 29 public universities, which cater for around 70% of students. The test is designed to measure aptitude for learning, rather than actual knowledge, in the hope that this will increase the number of students from lower income backgrounds who gain entry.

Meanwhile, as part of the plan to raise teaching standards, all professors will be required to have at least a master’s degree by 2017 – and ideally a doctoral qualification. At present, however, graduate degrees are relatively rare in Ecuador. Only three universities currently grant PhDs – and only about 20 per year are completed.

The government’s plan to raise standards also means a clamp down on so-called ‘garage universities’ – higher education institutions deemed as failing to meet required standards of teaching, facilities and academic resources. Those which fail to make sufficient improvements within a two-year period will be closed, while all public universities will have to account publicly for how they spend government funding – which amounts to around US$490 million per year.

Find more top universities in Ecuador with the latest QS Latin America University Rankings

Fast Facts

Borders with Peru, Colombia and the Pacific Ocean
Capital city is Quito
Population: 16.38 million (2016 estimate)
Owns the Galápagos Islands, famed for high number of endemic species (plants and animals found nowhere else in the world)
One of the most biodiverse countries in the world
Main language is Spanish
Major exports include oil, bananas, flowers, shrimp, coffee and cocoa
Currency used is the US dollar
Relatively small by South American standards - but still larger than the UK
Declared independence from Spain in 1809