Overview
Peru has no single national university entrance exam, so each university runs its own admission contest with its own routes, dates and fees. This page uses the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI) as one worked example. Always read the rules of each university you apply to.
Admission routes
UNI offers an ordinary route and several extraordinary ones.
Ordinary: for applicants who finished secondary school in Peru or the equivalent abroad. You need a current DNI and a passport-size photo.
First places: the top five students of schools who finished secondary within the previous two years.
Qualified high-level athletes, certified by the Peruvian Sports Institute.
International Baccalaureate diploma holders.
National school entry and talent (Beca 18), a process for students in their last year of secondary school.
External transfer, graduates and holders of degrees.
Important dates
For UNI's 2026-2 contest, registration ran from 30 June to 31 July 2026. The ordinary exam was on 10, 12 and 14 August 2026, and the architecture aptitude test on 8 August. Direct-entry exam candidates from the CEPRE-UNI pre-university course sat their final exam on 2 August. Entrants' data went to the faculties on 25 August, and the medical exam ran from 24 to 28 August.
Fees
For UNI 2026, ordinary registration cost S/ 410 for state school graduates and S/ 780 for private school graduates. Other routes are priced differently: S/ 850 for International Baccalaureate holders, S/ 620 (state) or S/ 840 (private or foreign) for external transfer, and S/ 680 for graduates and degree holders. The Plan Integral de Reparaciones (PIR) route is exempt from the registration fee. Half-scholarship (semibeca) applicants pay S/ 205 (ordinary and first-places applicants from state schools) or S/ 390 (athletes and applicants with disabilities from private schools). The architecture aptitude test costs an extra S/ 160.
How to apply
Register on the university's admission site in the registration window, pay the admission fee and bring the documents your route requires.
Is there one exam for all Peruvian universities?
No. Each university sets its own process, so check the one you want.