Beca Colombia for Foreigners

Beca Colombia for Foreigners is a fully funded scholarship from the Government of Colombia, administered by ICETEX, for foreign citizens to pursue a specialisation or a Master’s degree — with a free Spanish course first where needed — at Colombian public and private higher education institutions. Up to 70 scholarships are awarded per call. The 2026-2 call has closed; the next call has not been published yet.

Overview

ICETEX, the Colombian Institute of Educational Credit and Technical Studies Abroad, offers the Beca Colombia Program for Foreigners in coordination with Colombian higher education institutions. The programme gives foreign citizens the chance to strengthen their academic training in Colombia, and to build academic and cultural networks between their home countries and Colombia. Two types of applications are offered: postgraduate study (specialisation or Master’s degree) at an institution in the Academic Offer Catalogue, and — for applicants from non-Spanish-speaking countries who need Spanish training before their postgraduate programme — a Spanish language course of up to six months followed by the postgraduate programme. It is the Colombian Government’s flagship scholarship for foreign students.

Scholarship Benefits

• Tuition: 100% of tuition fees, granted by the host institution, for programmes in the Academic Offer Catalogue of the call.
• Monthly living allowance: an allowance equal to two Colombian legal minimum monthly wages (SMLMV), updated annually. It is paid quarterly in arrears, and only to scholars who are physically present in Colombia and enrolled in in-person programmes. No peso figure is published in the call — the benefit is defined as two minimum wages.
• Health: financial support for medical and hospital assistance for the scholar during the period of study in Colombia. This covers the scholar only, not family members, and does not include medications, copayments or deductibles. If ICETEX has no budget or contractual availability for this benefit, the scholar must obtain a valid health insurance policy in Colombia at their own expense.
• Visa: ICETEX provides a letter to request a Courtesy Visa type “V”, issued free of charge by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia for the duration of the academic programme. This benefit applies to the scholar only.
• Foreigner ID support: a one-time payment of COP 250,000 to cover the costs of issuing the Foreigner Identification Card (Cédula de Extranjería), paid with the first living-allowance payment.
• Spanish course: a free Spanish language course of up to six months for applicants from non-Spanish-speaking countries who require Spanish training before starting their postgraduate programme.

What it does NOT cover: for scholars in virtual programmes, only the tuition exemption is granted — all other benefits are for scholars physically present in Colombia in in-person programmes. Costs for inter-semester courses, thesis preparation and defence, mandatory language courses, international internships and other activities not expressly covered are paid by the scholar. The living allowance is paid quarterly in arrears, so the guidelines advise arriving with funds for at least three months of living expenses (approximately USD 700 per month, per the guidelines).

Eligibility Criteria

The scholarships are for foreign citizens who meet all of the following conditions, as set out in the official call:

• Age: over 18 and under 50 years of age at the closing date of the call. This requirement is strict and admits no exceptions.
• Admission: a definitive admission letter to at least one and up to three postgraduate programmes included in the Academic Offer Catalogue of the call.
• Nationality and residence: a foreign citizen who does not hold Colombian nationality under any circumstance, including dual nationality. The applicant must not be residing in Colombia, nor have resided there during the six months immediately before applying, and must not have started studies in Colombia at the time of applying.
• Previous beneficiary: must not have previously been a beneficiary of ICETEX through the Beca Colombia Program.
• Marital status: must not have a marital relationship or de facto union with a Colombian citizen at the time of application.
• Academic background: a professional undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in any field of knowledge, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.0 out of 5.0 at the undergraduate level, or its equivalent on the Colombian grading scale. Grades from postgraduate studies do not count towards this requirement.
• Professional experience: a minimum of 12 months of professional experience directly related to the chosen academic programme, gained after completing the undergraduate degree.
• Health: good physical and mental health, certified by a medical certificate from a licensed physician.
• Language of study: programmes are mainly taught in Spanish. Applicants from non-Spanish-speaking countries who need Spanish training may take the free Spanish course of up to six months before the postgraduate programme.

Available Fields

Various fields of knowledge, according to the programmes included in the Academic Offer Catalogue published with each call, at Colombian public and private higher education institutions. The scholarship covers specialisation and Master’s programmes in the catalogue, plus Spanish language courses for applicants from non-Spanish-speaking countries who need them. The catalogue for the current call is the authoritative list — only programmes in it are covered.

Required Documents

All documents must be uploaded digitally to the ICETEX application platform in PDF format. Documents are not accepted in physical form, by email, or by any other means, nor after the closing date. A missing document, or one that does not meet the call’s conditions, means rejection, with no possibility of correction unless ICETEX expressly decides otherwise.

• Definitive admission letter(s) to the academic programme(s) — a minimum of one and a maximum of three — for programmes starting in the call’s academic period.
• Certified copy of the university degree or diploma (certified by the issuing institution or notarised). Short courses, certificates and training programmes are not accepted.
• Undergraduate academic transcript certifying a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.0 out of 5.0, or its equivalent. The transcript must explicitly include the grading scale (minimum and maximum passing grades) and the weighted GPA, or the application will be rejected. Transcripts may be in Spanish, Portuguese, French or English; otherwise an official translation into Spanish or English must be attached.
• Motivation letter, completed directly in the application platform (not uploaded separately), explaining the academic and professional reasons for the chosen programme, the relevance of studying in Colombia, the expected impact on the applicant’s development, and how the knowledge will be applied on returning home. Where more than one admission letter is held, the applicant must rank the programmes from 1 to 3.
• Clear copy of the first page of a valid passport showing personal data and photograph. The passport must be valid for at least one year from the closing date of the call.
• Medical certificate stating physical and mental health, issued by a licensed physician, no more than 30 calendar days before the closing date, with the physician’s signature, stamp and professional registration details.
• Professional experience certificate(s) proving at least 12 months of experience after the undergraduate degree, directly related to the chosen programme, showing the position, functions and exact start and end dates (in months).

Application Process

1. Secure definitive admission to one to three postgraduate programmes in the Academic Offer Catalogue of the current call.
2. Prepare the seven documents above as PDFs, noting the validity limits: the medical certificate no more than 30 days before closing, and the passport valid at least one year from closing.
3. Submit the application online only, through the ICETEX application platform, before the closing time (in the 2026-2 call, 5:00 p.m. GMT-5 on 5 June 2026). No physical or email submissions are accepted.
4. Evaluation and selection are carried out by ICETEX through its International Portfolio Committee, scoring up to 100 points: academic excellence 35%, professional experience 30%, geographic location of the institution 20%, and reciprocity of the country of origin 15%, with one additional point for female applicants. A maximum of five scholarships per country of origin may be granted. The Committee’s decision is final and not subject to appeal.
5. Results are published on the ICETEX website and notified by email. In the 2026-2 call, results were published on 18 June 2026 and notified on 19 June 2026.
6. Acceptance: selected applicants must formally accept within two calendar days of notification and send the signed Scholarship Acceptance Letter. ICETEX then sends the communication for the Courtesy Visa, and the scholar applies for it online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before any payment, the scholar must obtain the Foreigner Identification Card, open a Colombian bank account, and send the bank certificate to ICETEX; the first payment follows within a maximum of six weeks.

Important Dates

Applications for the 2026-2 round closed on 5 June 2026. The next cycle has not been published yet — check the official page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the monthly living allowance?

Two Colombian legal minimum monthly wages (SMLMV), updated annually, paid quarterly in arrears. The call does not publish a peso figure for the allowance, so none is quoted here.

Who can apply?

Foreign citizens over 18 and under 50 at the closing date, with a Bachelor’s degree, a minimum undergraduate GPA of 4.0 out of 5.0, at least 12 months of relevant professional experience after the degree, and a definitive admission letter to one to three programmes in the Academic Offer Catalogue. Applicants must not hold Colombian nationality, including dual nationality, and must not have lived in Colombia in the six months before applying.

Do I need to speak Spanish?

Programmes are mainly taught in Spanish. Applicants from non-Spanish-speaking countries who need Spanish training can take a free Spanish course of up to six months before starting the postgraduate programme, and must then begin the programme in the following semester with no deferral.

How many scholarships are awarded?

Up to 70 per call, with a maximum of five per country of origin.

Can I defer my studies or change programme?

No. Deferral is not allowed, and changing the academic programme or institution is not allowed. Scholars must begin in the semester stated in the call, maintain a GPA of 4.0 out of 5.0, and return to their country of origin or residence on completion.

Official source: ICETEX — Beca Colombia Program for Foreigners