Universities and admissions in Buenos Aires

Universities in Buenos Aires for Russian speakers — in brief

Public: UBA (Universidad de Buenos Aires), UTN (technical), UNSAM. Private: UCA, Universidad de Palermo, UADE, Torcuato Di Tella.

Cost:

• public universities: tuition is free, you only pay administrative fees; some universities are introducing fees for non-resident foreigners from 2024–2025 — check with the specific institution
• private: $3,000–12,000/year

What is needed:

• convalidación of a school certificate or degree through the Ministerio de Educación
• Spanish: almost all programmes are taught in Spanish; a CELU certificate is often required
• undergraduate programs at UBA start with a common foundation year — CBC (Ciclo Básico Común)

Residence permit: residencia temporaria por estudios — obtained after enrollment, through the RADEX personal account at Migraciones.

Data as of 2026. Source: UBA, Migraciones.

Buenos Aires: studying at a public university for free — how it works

UBA — the country’s largest university, with free tuition for everyone, including foreigners with residency. Only administrative fees apply.

Two caveats that are usually left unsaid:

• almost all instruction is in Spanish; English-language programmes are limited to a handful of master’s degrees and MBAs at private schools
• after 2024, some public universities began charging tuition fees for foreigners without Argentine residency; each university sets its own rules and they change — check the university’s official website

Route into a state university:

1. Convalidación of school leaving certificate at the Ministerio de Educación

2. Spanish — CELU or the university’s internal exam

3. CBC: a shared first year, after which a specialisation is chosen

Private universities: $3,000–12,000/year, easier admission, their own scholarships available.

Data as of 2026. Source: UBA, Ministerio de Educación.

Buenos Aires: documents, degree recognition, student residence permit

Documents:

• school certificate or diploma with apostille
• sworn translation by a traductor público matriculado and notarisation of their signature by the Colegio de Traductores
• convalidación through the Ministerio de Educación
• criminal record check, passport, photos

Enrollment → status:

• university enrolment certificate
• registering with RADEX — the Migraciones personal account through which everything is processed
• apply for residencia temporaria por estudios, then DNI

What SVOY does here: convalidación of school certificates, sworn translations, and filing for a student residence permit. We do not handle university selection or the application process in Argentina — you do that yourself or directly through the university.

Data as of 2026. Source: Migraciones, Colegio de Traductores.