Study in Bolivia: an Introduction

Pursuing higher education in Bolivia is not a surprising matter now-a-days. For, the standard of  education, accommodation, availability of courses have made Bolivian institutions ideal centers for local as well as overseas students for learning. Day by day, the number of university students is rising rapidly. They learn, they earn and they establish their careers home and abroad.

The standard of teaching as well as the standard of learning runs in parallel in a very exquisite way. The professors are very amiable, learned, competent and above all highly encouraging. Their approach to the overseas students is so praiseworthy. In a class a student cannot but find a homely environment among the fellow students. In the friendly classes the students gather knowledge with the careful supervision of the efficient teachers. Thus a friendly environment always prevails in every class in almost every institution in Bolivia.

Regarding the cost of tuition, Bolivian institutions may be the lowest of other South American countries. The cost depends from course to course, university to university.  In an average a student has to pay USD 1000 for a six month term including tuition fee, exam fee, lab fee, etc. I the medical university it’s a bit higher. In colleges the cost remains much lower. Besides, a student may pay his fees in installment. Accommodation facility is available for most of the universities on campus. Thus the students reside a serene life within the university. In the hostels both local and foreign foods are available. The universities are located in good localities so that the students find the places to b perfect for communication, transportation and learning chaos-free.

Entry requirements for Bolivian universities are not at all critical. For admission, a student needs a bachelor degree, recommendation letters, character certificate, application, etc. For overseas students the prospective student needs a student visa, a police certificate, a medical certificate, recommendation certificate, character certificate, etc. If a student enters Bolivia with a tourist visa, he or she may apply for a student visa. Firstly, the applicant must finish the admission process and obtain the admission letter, the receipt of fee paid from the respective institution. Then he should proceed to the Migration Office for visa maters. In the counter he should collect the necessary form and a checklist. The form is free of charge. With the application, the student should attach an Interpol certificate, a police certificate certifying the place of residence, HIV (negative) certificate and admission documents.  Upon submission of he documents along with original passport, the student has to pay the free for residence visa. For one year, Bs. 1000, for 2 years Bs. 1500 and for 5 years Bs. 3000 is required. It’s better and wiser to handle the visa matters by a competent solicitor. Solicitors are available around the Migration office. There are Migration Offices (Immigration Office) in Santa Cruz, La Paz and Cochabamba. 

Housing in Bolivia is very comfortable, easy and secured. It is very easy to rent a room in a house. The land lord always rents one or two rooms at the rate of Bs. 300-600 per month. There is the facility of water supply, bath room, etc. Restaurants are found at every corner of residential areas as well as market places. Besides, a tenant may cook himself in the house. Vegetable, rice, fish and meat are available in the local markets.

In Bolivian universities a student have the option to choose his subject from a crowd of courses. There are IT related courses; Science related courses, Arts, Commerce, Engineering, Medical, Tourism, and Theology related courses and what not. Most of the universities have international recognition. Some courses are taught both in Bolivia and abroad. Particularly medical courses are finished in local university and the internship is completed in Europe. Thus a student never finds it insufficient regarding his choice of option in course, institution, accommodation and housing. In Bolivia he is bound to be satisfied with the high quality education system and comfortable living style.