USAC

Overview

The Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) is Guatemala's only public university and the country's oldest, and it runs its own admission process for every undergraduate programme rather than a single hosted national entrance exam. Admission is managed by USAC's Sistema de Ubicación y Nivelación (SUN) and runs as a sequence of stages: a vocational-orientation test, Pruebas de Conocimientos Básicos (PCB, basic-knowledge tests in core school subjects), and, for most careers, Pruebas Específicas (programme-specific tests) set by the faculty the applicant is applying to.

Who can apply

Applicants must have completed (or be completing) secondary school (ciclo diversificado / bachillerato), whether from a Guatemalan or a foreign institution. There is no separate national "USAC entrance exam" certificate — each applicant works through the SUN stages described below for the specific career they want to join.

Exam pattern

The admission process has up to four stages, completed in order through the SUN:

A completed Orientación Vocacional (with its NOV) is required before registering for the PCB, and a passing PCB result in at least Lenguaje is reported as a requirement before assigning to a Prueba Específica; the specific PCB subjects and whether a Prueba Específica is required at all depend on the faculty and career.

Marking and results

PCB subject tests are reported as satisfactory from a minimum score of 61 out of 100, the same general passing threshold USAC uses across its academic evaluations. The SUN is reported to open up to four PCB sitting opportunities a year, spread roughly between June and November, so an applicant who does not reach 61 in a subject can retake that subject test in a later window within the same cycle. Pruebas Específicas are graded and reported separately by each faculty, which also sets its own passing standard and, where seats are limited, may rank candidates rather than simply pass or fail them.

Important dates

USAC republishes its own admission calendar each cycle, and reported 2026 dates have included:

Always confirm exact windows for the stage you are registering for on the SUN site, since dates shift between cycles and vary by campus/regional centre.

Fees

For the cycle reported, the Orientación Vocacional stage costs Q70 (quetzales), paid before being assigned a sitting. The Pruebas de Conocimientos Básicos are reported to have no cost. Fees for Pruebas Específicas are set and collected by each individual faculty, so they are not covered here — check the specific faculty's admissions page for its current fee, if any.

How to apply

1. Generate the payment order for the Orientación Vocacional and pay the Q70 fee.

2. Get assigned a sitting date through the SUN (sun.usac.edu.gt) and sit the Orientación Vocacional (IIE) exam in person.

3. Collect the vocational feedback and the Número de Orientación Vocacional (NOV) once results are published.

4. Register for the Pruebas de Conocimientos Básicos (PCB) through the SUN using the NOV, choosing the subjects your target career requires, and sit them (no cost reported).

5. Once PCB results are satisfactory, register for and sit any Prueba Específica your target faculty requires, following that faculty's own instructions.

6. With all required stages passed, complete registration (inscripción) into the career through USAC's Departamento de Registro y Estadística.

After the exam

USAC publishes results for each stage through the SUN and the relevant faculty. Passing the Orientación Vocacional and PCB (in the subjects a career requires) lets an applicant move on to any Prueba Específica the faculty sets; passing that, where required, allows formal registration into the career. An applicant who does not reach the passing score in a PCB subject is reported to be able to retake that subject in a later sitting window within the same annual cycle, up to the number of opportunities the SUN offers that year.

Preparation tips

• Review Básico- and Diversificado-cycle material in the specific PCB subjects your target career requires (Lenguaje and Matemática are the most commonly required; some careers also require Física, Química or Biología).

• Practise verbal, logical-mathematical and abstract reasoning ahead of the Orientación Vocacional, since the IIE measures those alongside professional interests.

• Once you know your target faculty, look up its Prueba Específica format directly on that faculty's own page — content differs noticeably between faculties (for example, Medicine's science-and-reasoning focus versus Architecture's spatial-aptitude focus).

• Keep track of each stage's own registration and payment windows on the SUN site; missing one window can push your whole timeline into a later cycle.

FAQs