Earlier this month, the QS Latin America University Rankings 2018 were published, ranking the top universities in Latin America and assessing them across a series of metrics, including the reputation of each university among academics, and the number of staff at each university qualified to PhD level.
One of the most significant of these metrics – and arguably the most interesting for students – is employer reputation, a measure of how highly regarded each university is by the top employers in the world. More than any other element of the Latin America rankings, this metric hints at how well each university in the region can prepare you for your dream career.
If advancing your career prospects and graduating with a degree highly valued by leading employers is important to you, these universities are the ones to apply to.
10. Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez
Tenth on our list of top Latin American universities that are loved by employers is Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, a Chilean institution based in Santiago, with satellite campuses in Viña del Mar and Miami in the US. Ranked 23rd in Latin America this year overall (up from 37th the year before), the university is particularly well-regarded for business and management studies, featuring in the top 150 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.
9. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp)
Universidade Estadual de Campinas may be the second-best university in Latin America overall, but it’s only ranked ninth for employer reputation specifically. In fact, this is one of the metrics the university performs the poorest for, with only the university’s international research network and its faculty to student ratio receiving lower ranks. The Brazilian university is ranked in the top 50 in the world for two subjects: dentistry and agriculture & forestry.
8. Universidad de los Andes Colombia
The eighth best university in Latin America according to employers is Universidad de los Andes Colombia. Based in the country’s capital city Bogotá, the university is also ranked eighth in Latin America overall and is among the top 100 universities in the world for six different subjects. They are: anthropology, art & design, development studies, law, modern languages and social policy & administration.
7. Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Also in Bogota, Universidad Nacional de Colombia fell out of the top 10 overall this year but is the seventh best university in Latin America when ranked by employer reputation. The university is also ranked seventh for its reputation among academics, and is in the world’s top 100 universities for both art & design and modern languages.
6. Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM)
Tecnológico de Monterrey is the first of two Mexican universities included in this top 10. Encompassing 31 campuses in 25 cities across Mexico, ITESM is a sprawling university that’s home to over 90,000 students. If you’re considering studying here, it’s worth noting the university is ranked particularly highly for its art & design and business & management studies programs. Both are ranked within the top 50 in the world.
5. Universidad de Chile
A non-mover at sixth overall in this year’s Latin America ranking, Universidad de Chile is considered to be in the region’s top 10 universities for every metric apart from its faculty to student ratio, where it’s ranked a disappointing 187th. If large class sizes don’t faze you though, this Chilean university is likely to stand you in good stead for a career, with academic strengths in multiple areas. The university featured in 28 different subject rankings, including five different branches of engineering, law and sociology.
4. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
The highest-ranked university in Mexico for both employer reputation and overall, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a highly competitive university to get into, with only 8 percent of applicants in 2016 securing a place. If you do get in, you’ll definitely experience a high-quality education. The university is included in 40 of the 46 subject rankings published by QS, scoring particularly highly for its arts and humanities programs.
3. Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
Leading the way in Brazil, Universidade de São Paulo is the largest public university in the country and a regular feature in the Latin America ranking. Down two places to third overall this year, the university is one of the best places in the world to study mineral & mining engineering. Approximately a third of the university’s international students come to USP to study an engineering course.
2. Universidad de Buenos Aires
Universidad de Buenos Aires may only be ranked ninth overall in this year’s Latin America ranking, but for employers it’s undoubtedly one of the finest universities in the region. Beaten by only one university (more on them later), Universidad de Buenos Aires is also ranked second for academic reputation. It features in the top 50 of the most-recent subject rankings for modern languages and sociology.
1. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC)
The indisputable winner of both the Latin America rankings and our countdown of Latin American universities employers love is Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, which has performed fantastically well across all metrics. One of six Catholic universities in Chile, UC performed particularly well in the theology & divinity studies ranking launched earlier this year, coming 30th in the world. UC has four campuses in Santiago and one in Villarrica, and is also highly regarded for its arts & humanities and social sciences & management programs.
Want to learn more about the top universities in Latin America? Click here.
