List of universities in Venezuela
has a wide array of universities, offering courses in a broad variety of subjects, spread between a total 23 public and 24 private universities located across several states. As a result of a Royal Decree signed by Philip V of Spain, the Central University of Venezuela—the country's oldest—was founded in 1721 as "Universidad Real y Pontificia de Caracas". The campus was originally at the now-known "Palacio de las Academias" but, in 1944, president Isaías Medina Angarita relocated it to the University City of Caracas.
The second oldest university is the University of the Andes. Established in 1810 as the "Real Universidad de San Buenaventura de Mérida de los Caballeros", its origins date back to 1785 when Fray Juan Ramos de Lora founded a priest school in the city of Mérida. The University of Zulia—the third-oldest university—was founded in 1891 when the Federal College of Maracaibo was converted into a university. The government ordered the closure of the university for political reasons in 1904, and it remained closed until 1946. The University of Carabobo is the last to be founded before the twentieth century by being established in 1892 and dating back to 1833 when the College of Carabobo was created by presidential decree.
The first private university established in the country was the Andres Bello Catholic University, founded in 1953 as the "Catholic University of Venezuela" under the government of Marcos Pérez Jiménez. The development of the Nueva Esparta University begun when the Nueva Esparta College was established in 1954. After major improvements over the structure, the university was formally re-appointed under its current name. Originally designed as an extension of the Andres Bello Catholic University in 1962, the Catholic University of Táchira was established as an autonomic university in 1982, becoming the second catholic university in the country. The Metropolitan University's foundation dates back to 1960, when entrepreneur Eugenio Mendoza led a civil group to develop an institution "skilled to capacitate, with modern criteria, young students from all social classes." The university was finally established in 1970.
List
Public
| Name | Founded | Headquarters | Ref. |
| Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela | 2003 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Central de Venezuela | 1721 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Centro Occidental Lisandro Alvarado | 1962 | Barquisimeto | |
| Universidad de Carabobo | 1892 | Valencia | |
| Universidad Indígena de Venezuela | 2000 | Bolívar | |
| Universidad Nacional Experimental de la Gran Caracas | 2018 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana | 1982 | Puerto Ordaz and San Felix | |
| Universidad de Los Andes | 1810 | Mérida | |
| Universidad de Los Llanos Centrales Rómulo Gallegos | 1977 | San Juan de los Morros | |
| Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora | 1975 | Barinas | |
| Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira | 1974 | San Cristóbal | |
| Universidad Nacional Experimental de Yaracuy | 2000 | San Felipe | |
| Universidad del Zulia | 1891 | Maracaibo | |
| Universidad de Oriente | 1958 | Cumaná | |
| Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda | 1977 | Santa Ana de Coro | |
| Universidad Marítima del Caribe | 2000 | Catia La Mar | |
| Universidad Nacional Abierta | 1977 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador | 1983 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Politécnica Antonio José de Sucre | 1979 | Barquisimeto | |
| Universidad Politécnica de la Fuerza Armada Nacional | 1974 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Rafael María Baralt | 1982 | Cabimas | |
| Universidad Simón Bolívar | 1967 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Simón Rodríguez | 1971 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Sur del Lago Jesús María Semprum | 2000 | Colon, Zulia |
Private
| Name | Founded | Headquarters | Ref. |
| Instituto Universitario Politécnico "Santiago Mariño" | 1991 | Barcelona | |
| Universidad Alejandro de Humboldt | 1997 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Alonso de Ojeda | 2002 | Ciudad Ojeda | |
| Universidad Arturo Michelena | 2001 | Valencia | |
| Universidad Bicentenaria de Aragua | 1986 | Maracay | |
| Universidad Rafael Urdaneta | 1974 | Maracaibo | |
| Universidad Católica Andrés Bello | 1953 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Católica Cecilio Acosta | 1983 | Maracaibo | |
| Universidad Católica del Táchira | 1962 | San Cristóbal | |
| Universidad Católica Santa Rosa | 1999 | Caracas | |
| Universidad de Margarita | 2000 | Isla de Margarita | |
| Universidad Dr. José Gregorio Hernández | 2002 | Valera | |
| Universidad Fermín Toro | 1989 | Barquisimeto | |
| Universidad José Antonio Páez | 1997 | Valencia | |
| Universidad José María Vargas | 1995 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Metropolitana | 1970 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Monteávila | 1998 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Nororiental Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho | 1987 | Barcelona | |
| Universidad Nueva Esparta | 1954 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Panamericana del Puerto | 2003 | Puerto Cabello | |
| Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacin | 1989 | Maracaibo | |
| Universidad Santa María | 1983 | Caracas | |
| Universidad Tecnológica del Centro | 1979 | Guacara | |
| Universidad Valle del Momboy | 1997 | Valera | |
| Universidad Yacambú | 1989 | Barquisimeto |