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La Rotonda, a building on the main campus of the University of El Salvador in San Salvador

About El Salvador

Universities and Higher Education in El Salvador

El Salvador has 41 higher education institutions: 24 universities, 13 specialised institutes and 4 technological institutes. Only 9 are public, and only one of them is a university: the Universidad de El Salvador, which alone teaches 56,397 students. Enrolment was 195,949 in 2024, down 2.3% on 2023.

Updated November 2026 · Facts checked 9 November 2026

Photo: Jarould, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Higher education institutions
411
Higher education institutions
Universities, of which one is public
241
Universities, of which one is public
Students enrolled in 2024
195,9491
Students enrolled in 2024
Of whom at universities
180,6291
Of whom at universities

Universities and Higher Education in El Salvador

The system in figures

The system in figures
Type of institution Private Public Total
Universities 23 1 24
Specialised institutes 6 7 13
Technological institutes 3 1 4
Total 32 9 41

Source: Ministry of Education: higher education statistics 2024 (PDF, in Spanish)1

Enrolment fell from 200,598 in 2023 to 195,949 in 2024. Universities taught 180,629 of these students. The specialised institutes include the Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios (ESEN), with 778 students in 2024.1

The universities on a map

The 24 universities of El Salvador by city 1 San Salvador 2 Soyapango 3 Antiguo Cuscatlán 4 Santa Tecla 5 Santa Ana 6 Sonsonate 7 Ahuachapán 8 Tejutla 9 Chalatenango 10 Cabañas 11 San Vicente 12 Usulután 13 San Miguel
Main campus of at least one university Regional centres only Places are approximate, by city. Click a number for the university or the list of universities in that city. Boundaries: geoBoundaries SLV ADM1 (OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0)1
  1. 1 San Salvador Main campus: UCAD, UES, UNAB, UEES, UFG, ULS, UMA, UNSSA, UPAN, UPED, UPES, USAM, UTEC
  2. 2 Soyapango Main campus: UDB
  3. 3 Antiguo Cuscatlán Main campus: UAE, UCA, UJMD
  4. 4 Santa Tecla Main campus: UTLA
  5. 5 Santa Ana Main campus: UNASA, UNICAES. Regional centres: UES, UFG, UMA
  6. 6 Sonsonate Main campus: USO. Regional centres: UNAB, UMA
  7. 7 Ahuachapán Regional centres: UPAN
  8. 8 Tejutla Main campus: UMOAR
  9. 9 Chalatenango Regional centres: UNAB
  10. 10 Cabañas Regional centres: UNICAES, ULS
  11. 11 San Vicente Regional centres: UES, UPAN
  12. 12 Usulután Regional centres: UGB
  13. 13 San Miguel Main campus: UGB, UNIVO. Regional centres: UES, UNAB, UMA

13 universities have their main campus in the city of San Salvador, and three more in Antiguo Cuscatlán. Outside the capital area, Santa Ana, San Miguel, Sonsonate and Tejutla have universities of their own, and the Universidad de El Salvador and seven private universities teach at regional centres.1

All 24 universities

All 24 universities
University Main campus Sector Accredited Students 2024 Change on 2023
Universidad de El Salvador San Salvador Public No 56,397 -1.0%
Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador San Salvador Private Yes 19,960 -1.8%
Universidad Don Bosco Soyapango Private Yes 11,745 +4.8%
Universidad Dr. Andrés Bello San Salvador Private Yes 11,479 -11.1%
Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas Antiguo Cuscatlán Private Yes 9,089 +3.9%
Universidad Católica de El Salvador Santa Ana Private Yes 8,599 -1.0%
Universidad Capitán General Gerardo Barrios San Miguel Private Yes 8,498 -17.1%
Universidad Evangélica de El Salvador San Salvador Private Yes 6,973 -0.7%
Universidad Francisco Gavidia San Salvador Private Yes 6,421 -3.3%
Universidad Salvadoreña Alberto Masferrer San Salvador Private Yes 6,257 +2.4%
Universidad de Oriente San Miguel Private Yes 5,384 +2.5%
Universidad Modular Abierta San Salvador Private No 5,348 -2.4%
Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado Antiguo Cuscatlán Private Yes 5,110 -3.7%
Universidad Pedagógica de El Salvador San Salvador Private Yes 4,973 -0.6%
Universidad de Sonsonate Sonsonate Private No 2,892 -0.8%
Universidad Luterana Salvadoreña San Salvador Private No 2,287 +3.2%
Universidad Panamericana San Salvador Private No 2,180 -2.4%
Universidad Autónoma de Santa Ana Santa Ana Private Yes 1,955 +1.6%
Universidad Nueva San Salvador San Salvador Private No 1,572 +12.8%
Universidad Politécnica de El Salvador San Salvador Private No 1,226 +4.6%
Universidad Técnica Latinoamericana Santa Tecla Private No 924 -1.1%
Universidad Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero Tejutla Private No 592 -16.1%
Universidad Cristiana de las Asambleas de Dios San Salvador Private No 537 -0.4%
Universidad Albert Einstein Antiguo Cuscatlán Private No 231 -6.1%

Source: Ministry of Education: higher education statistics 2024 (PDF, in Spanish)1

Sorted by students in 2024. «Accredited» means the Ministry marks the institution as accredited in its 2024 statistics; 13 of the 23 private universities are.1

Universities by city

Universities by city
City Department Main campus Regional centres
San Salvador San Salvador UCAD, UES, UNAB, UEES, UFG, ULS, UMA, UNSSA, UPAN, UPED, UPES, USAM, UTEC –
Soyapango San Salvador UDB –
Antiguo Cuscatlán La Libertad UAE, UCA, UJMD –
Santa Tecla La Libertad UTLA –
Santa Ana Santa Ana UNASA, UNICAES UES, UFG, UMA
Sonsonate Sonsonate USO UNAB, UMA
Ahuachapán Ahuachapán – UPAN
Tejutla Chalatenango UMOAR –
Chalatenango Chalatenango – UNAB
Cabañas Cabañas – UNICAES, ULS
San Vicente San Vicente – UES, UPAN
Usulután Usulután – UGB
San Miguel San Miguel UGB, UNIVO UES, UNAB, UMA

Source: Ministry of Education: higher education statistics 2024 (PDF, in Spanish)1

For investors and employers

  • Where: San Salvador holds the largest share of institutions; the Universidad de El Salvador and several private universities also have regional centres in other departments.
  • Skills: see workforce and bilingual talent and the education sector.

Source: Ministry of Education: higher education statistics 2024 (PDF, in Spanish)1

The 24 universities

Sources

  1. Ministry of Education: higher education statistics 2024 (PDF, in Spanish)

Facts checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestSalvador.com for general information.

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