Guía del Extranjero (inglés)

INTERNATIONAL
STUDENT GUIDE
www.ustavillavicencio.edu.co

grettings from
the principal
AGUAS CLARAS CAMPUS
ACCOUNTING - LAW SCHOOL - Civil ENGINEERING
PsYCHOLOGY - INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
It is a cause of profound Joy to welcome
you to our Saint Thomas University,
Villavicencio headquarters.
We hope that this new international
mobility experience that you are about
to embark, is one of the most enlightening
of your life.
For us it is a cause of great satisfaction
that you are now part of our academic
community.
Carrera 22 con calle 1 Vía Puerto López
loma linda CAMPUS
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
welcome!
P. José Antonio Balaguera, O.P.
Principal
Saint Thomas University
Villavicencio Headquarters
Carrera 48 # 19 – 05 Sur Vía Acacías

S
N
Contents
1
Migratory Information
2
Arriving to Colombia
3
Housing
W E
4
Enrollment
5
6
7
Aspects to consider
Reasons to study at
Saint Thomas University
Villavicencio Headquarters
contact

Migratory Information
01
For your permanency as an academic International exchange student
in Colombia, you can choose between the following two options:
If you wish to enter the country without
a student visa v (Visitor) you can
do so by presenting your acceptance
letter from Saint Thomas University
to the migration Officer at El Dorado
airport. The Officer must give you a
PIP-2 entering and permanency
permit which will allow you to stay in
the country for 90 days with a student
status. Before it expires, you
must go to the Colombian migration
office in Villavicencio to renew it for
another 90 days. This mandatory
renewal process has a 30 USD price.
If you wish to enter the country with a
student visa, you must go to the closest
Colombian embassy in your country
and begin the process. Once you
arrive to Villavicencio, you will have 10
days to begin the process of obtaining
your foreign ID (Cédula de extranjería)
which will have a cost of approximately
60 UDS. We strongly recommend
doing this so you can be granted
almost the same rights as a Colombian
citizen and you won’t have to carry
your passport at all times.
NOTE:
BEWARE THAT ANY OPTION YOU CHOOSE
MUST BE NOTIFIED TO THIS OFFICE BEFORE
TRAVELLING TO COLOMBIA.

arriving to colombia
02
You have two options:
You can buy your flight ticket in your
country all the way to Vanguardia Airport
in Villavicencio with a stop in Bogotá. We
will pick you up at the airport and take
you to your house.
You can buy your flight ticket in your
country all the way to El Dorado Airport in
Bogota. If you pick this option you must
travel by bus to the city of Villavicencio
(takes about 3 hours) and we will pick
you up at the bus station and take you to
your house.

We strongly recommend that you change some US Dollars to Colombian pesos (60 USD
approx.) at El Dorado airport. Beware of your arrival time, if it’s too late or too early you won’t
be able to find any open exchange houses. From the exit door at El Dorado International Airport
you must take an authorized taxi cab to the bus station located in El Salitre neighborhood
(15 minute ride approx.) You must ask the driver to leave you at Module 2 were the buses
going to Villavicencio depart. The cost of the taxi ride is around $20.000 Colombian Pesos
($6USD), but this fare can vary with the night extra charge.
Once you arrive to the bus terminal we recommend buying your ticket to Villavicencio at Expreso
Bolivariano Company. It has a cost of approximately $26.000 Colombian pesos ($9 USD
approx.) Most of the stores at the terminal sell cellphone calls that you can buy in order to
contact us. This will allow us to calculate you arrival time and pick you up once you arrive to
Villavicencio. You can also use the bus terminal Wi-Fi signal in order to communicate with us.

SCOLARSHIPS
Widely covered scholarships
If you are granted
this type of scholarship, you will be exonerated
of any academic
fees
and also you will receive
financial aid
(900.000 COP per month) that will
cover your housing and food
fees.
Pa rt i a l ly c o v e r ed s c h o l a rs h i p s
If you are granted this type of scholarship you will
be exonerated of any academic fees only.

HOUSING
03
Previously to your arrival, we will send
you by E-mail the different housing options
that the University offers. These
housing options are usually located
near the campus and you will be able to
pick the option that suits you best.
Usually these housing options will have
an individual or shared room with a private
bathroom, a bed, sheets, closet,
fan, etc. You will also be able to use the
common areas of the house such as
the kitchen, living room, dining room,
backyard, laundry room, etc.
If you are granted a widely covered scholarship,
you will be given a $900.000 COP financial aid
during the dates established in your acceptance
letter. Additional housing day costs must be
paid on your own if needed.

Feeding costs
If you are granted a widely covered scholarship,
you will be able to use the remaining $500.000 COP of
your financial aid to cover your monthly feeding expenses.
You can either cook your own meals, use the cafeterias of
the University or go to the nearby restaurants.
Transportation
Saint Thomas University has a bus
stop that holds different bus routes
around the city. The cost of a bus ride
is around $1.600 COP each way. Usually
the housing options offered by the
University are nearby the campus
where you will be able to walk. If you
need to use a taxi cab it will have a minimum
cost of $ 4600 COP. You can
download and use phone apps like
easy taxi or tappsi to call for a cab with
a $500 Cop extra charge.

ENROLLMENT
04
Enrollment to your classes and university life process.
When you arrive for the first time to the University you will be given your classes schedule
with the classes that you previously registered in our forms. If for any reason any of your
classes weren’t able to be registered due to a schedule conflict, or if the class you chose
wasn’t offered, you will have the first 2 class weeks to add any other class or make any
changes you wish. Beware that you must first consult your home Universtity in order to
properly validate the endorsement process.

During the first week we will start your University
ID carding process which will grant you permission
to access areas like the library, computer rooms,
the university itself, etc.
During the first weeks after your arrival, you will be invited to
join a thrilling welcome activity programmed by the
international Office along with other international
exchange students.

Student life
The Student life department designs cultural,
recreational, sports and integration activities, with
the entire Saint Thomas community. It offers support
to students by providing psychological and spiritual assessment.
International students can participate and
make use of the following areas and activities free of
charge:
Gym - Swimming pool - Modern Dancing classes,
Joropo classes - Guitar workshops - acting workshops
tale telling

COLOMBIA and VILLAVICENCIO
05
Colombia is located in the north of
South America and has an approximate
population of 48.747.632 distributed
along 32 states which are divided in 5
major and diverse regions: Caribe
Region, Pacific Region, Andina Region,
Amazon Region and Orinoquía Region.
The capital city of Colombia is Bogotá
and is located in the Cundinamarca
State in the Andina Region. It’s located
at 2.600 MASL and has a population of
about 8 million citizens.
Catedral -Villavicencio
Villavicencio it’s located 86km from Bogotá and it is the capital city of Meta state. The city is
called the gate to the eastern Llanos (flat lands) of Colombia and it has a population of approximately
500.000 citizens. It’s located at 467 MASL and has a tropical climate, hot and with high
degrees of humidity. Its average temperature ranges from 25°C to 30°C. Villavicencio’s culture
is mainly focused on agriculture and cattle work.

Popular cultural activities
Joropódromo
Catama Fair
Coleo World Championship
International Joropo Competition
in Villavicencio
Retorno Festival
International Festival of Cachama
Concurso Mundial de la Mujer Vaquera
Festival Llanero

to remember
06
Medical care
Remember that before your trip to Colombia,
you must send us a copy of
your international medical insurance
with minimum coverage of medical
expenses, medicine expenses, and
repatriation of remains. We suggest
you to get Assist Card and download
the app on your mobile at your arrival
to Colombia.
Safety
Villavicencio is an intermediate city
with strong social inequity, so you must
be aware and be precautious with your
personal safety particularly at night.
Avoid carrying with you valuable things,
big amounts of cash, and also avoid to
use your Cellphone while you are walking
around the city. Save the Colombian
Police emergency number on your
phone, 112.
Electricity
Electricity in Villavicencio and in Colombia
ranges from 110 to 120 volts.
The electrical outlets are American
type, with two flat pins and a round
third for ground. We recommend to
bring your own converter.

living costs
Housing
Meals
Furnished room in a family home or a
student residency with all services
included:
$380.000 - $420.000
One person apartment/flat without
services:
$750.000 - $1.000.000
In campus
$6000
Regular meals off campus
$7.000 - $8.500
Menu meals
$10.000 - $25.000
Entertainment
Movies
$6000 - $10.000
Parks
$10.000 - $25.000
Tours
$35.000 - $150.000

Colombian currency: Colombian peso COP
1 USD: $3.400 COP* aprox subject to exchange rates
Coins: 100, 200, 500 and 1.000 pesos
1 Euro: $3.600 COP* aprox subject to exchange rates
Bills: 1.000, 2.000, 5.000, 10.000, 20.000 and 50.000 pesos

Holydays
Enero 1: Año nuevo
Enero 12: Reyes Magos
Marzo 23: San José
Marzo 24: Jueves Santo
Marzo 25: Viernes Santo
Mayo 1: Día del Trabajo
Mayo 18: Ascensión
Junio 8: Día del Corpus
Junio 15: Sagrado Corazón
Junio 29: San Pedro y San Pablo
Julio 20: Grito de la Independencia
Agosto 7: Batalla de Boyacá
Agosto 17: Asunción de la Virgen
Octubre 12: Día de la Raza
Noviembre 2: Todos los Santos
Noviembre 16: Independencia de Cartagena
Diciembre 8: Inmaculada Concepción
Diciembre 25: Navidad
In Colombia there are two types of holidays:
Religious festivities and Civic festivities
A group of them are patriotic festivities.
All these festivities are nonworking days,
therefore those days there will be no classes.

Reasons to study...
Reasons to study at Saint Thomas University
Villavicencio Headquarters
USTA Villavicencio is located 86 km south of Bogotá D.c (3 Hours
ride). It’s the most recognized private university in the region due
to its high quality certification and modern infrastructure.
location
07
01
From the moment you enter Colombian territory you will notice
that green is the color around the landscapes. Villavicencio is located
on the Llanos foothill where the eastern Andes mountain
range ends and the flat lands begin. Here, you will find many rivers
and forests ready for you to enjoy. The city and its surroundings
offer ecological paths on which you can hike and mountain bike.
In Villavicencio you have the possibility to know a great deal of the
Llanera culture, characterized by its cattle work activities and its
exquisite culinary. The university also offers you a great variety of
cultural, sport and recreational activities.
Villavicencio is a city with comfortable living prices, usually below
prices found in the capital city Bogotá. Villavicencio offers a great
amount of neighborhood stores where you will be able to find
whatever you need without going too far from home.
In our university and Villavicencio, foreigners are always welcome
and people are always willing to help with anything you possibly
need. One of the main reasons foreigners like being in Colombia is
because they get surprised by the kindness of the people which
makes them feel at home.
Natural richness
CULTURe
ECONOMy
hospitality
02
03
04
05

CONTACT
Viviana Dlaikan C
Coordinator
Dirección de Relaciones
Internacionales
3 piso, Cubo administrativo - Bloque B
vivianadlaikan@usantotomas.edu.co
oriivillavicencio@usantotomas.edu.co
Profesionales de Apoyo a la Movilidad
internacional.villavo@usantotomas.edu.co
Teléfonos: +57 8 6614361 Ext. 4038
Whatsapp: +57 3107534677