Established in 1803 under the name of Real Colegio de Franciscanos, and under the Constitution of the State of Antioquia, Universidad de Antioquia is a government-run public university based in Medellín, Colombia. Its duties and its powers are prescribed in the provisions of Act 30 of 1992 of the National Constitution.

The University can establish facilities and campuses anywhere across the nation as well as join or create corporations, foundations and other public or semi public bodies.

Its mission is to generate, develop and disseminate knowledge in a wide range of disciplines including humanities, science, arts, philosophy, technics and technology through research, teaching and extension activities. Universidad de Antioquia offers nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-baccalaureate programs that are delivered through both face-to-face and distance learning methods.

Over its more than 200 years of existence, Universidad de Antioquia (otherwise known as UdeA), has played a key role in the fields of medicine and law. It has also been a key actor in the rise of the Colombian industry and engineering, as well as an environmental leader and pioneer in research.

With 80 undergraduate programs and more than 180 graduate programs including 11 doctoral programs, the University currently boasts a student body of nearly 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students.