The City of Caracas, the capitol of Venezuela, is home to many varied interests and attractions, but one of the most fascinating and interesting, are its schools of learning. Higher education in Caracas has a long-standing tradition, stretching back three hundred years, to the colonization of the new world, even before the founding of the United States of America. The schools of Caracas range in size and scope, the nature of their funding and the way in which they recruit students.

The schools of Caracas range from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, the largest, most respected and the oldest public university in Venezuela founded in 1721 by King Philip V of Spain, to the Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela, the most recent of the major schools and the most controversial school of Caracas, founded in 2003 by presidential decree of Hugo Chavez. The former school is known for its rich tradition and history while the other is thought to be a propaganda mouthpiece of the socialist president of Venezuela.

In the middle of the extremes, are schools like the Universidad Simón Bolívar, or USB.
USB is a public school located in Caracas, whose scientific and technological focus is well respected around the world. Its graduates are known to possess some of the highest professional standards in the world. Engineering and science students come from all over South America to study at this prestigious school and international corporations have been known to poach students in their final years for work. Its architecture is likewise iconic, making it a destination for tourists to Caracas and beyond.

One of the more interesting schools of Caracas is the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, or UCAB. A religious university founded by the “Episcopado Venezolano a la Compañía de Jesús”, or the Jesuit Order in 1953, it specializes in religious education for the priesthood of the church, providing solid education and support to the 18,000 members of the worldwide Jesuit Order. A catholic-run school, it’s private and admits only those it invites to its halls, creating an air of mystery that has inspired local legends of mysterious catacombs, a reliquary of immense proportions and the idea that the school possesses pieces of the true cross.

Other universities in Caracas include such schools as the Universidad Metropolitana, the Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez and the Universidad Santa Maria. Also in Caracas are the Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador, the Universidad José María Vargas, the Universidad Monteavila, the Universidad Nueva Esparta, the Universidad Experimental Politécnica Antonio José de Sucre, Universidad Alejandro de Humboldt and Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela.

These schools range in age from several years to several decades, founded by prestigious and influential members of Venezuelan society, corporations and business associations for the betterment of the people of Caracas. Each focuses on specific fields of study, with expert faculty and well-regarded curriculum’s. Unlike many so-called universities of Latin America or the Caribbean nations, Caracas ‘ schools rarely have any problems with other, more first-world schools recognizing their credits.