Institute of Educational Credit and Technical Studies Abroad (Colombie) (Icetex)

ICETEX is a government entity that promotes Higher Education through educative credits and its collection, with its own and third party resources, for the population with low economic possibilities and good academic performance.

Also, it makes possible the access to educative opportunities offered by the international community to raise the quality of life of Colombian citizens in order to contribute with the economic and social development of the country.

Mission

ICETEX is the government financial entity of special nature, that promotes and finance the access and the continued stay in higher education within Colombia and abroad; through educative credits, international and third party cooperation resources with the criteria of fairness, coverage, quality and ownership, with priority to population with low economic level but with good academic performance, in order to contribute with the economic and social development of the country.

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We will be known as the financial force for higher education in Colombia, increasing the number of active credits and the opportunities of international cooperation, based in a strong financial operation, an effective management model, state of the art technology and high qualified personnel, all oriented towards the achievement of higher levels of satisfaction among our customers.

Objectives

• Facilitate students to access the best academic programs of the country and to a greater number of opportunities to study abroad, in international well-known institutions.
• Assure that the training of our students have a significant impact in priority areas for regional and national development.
• Obtain different options of financing the investment, with participation of the nation, departments and municipalities, the productive area, higher education institutes, private savings and international cooperation.
• Guarantee that the distribution of our services among the students and the different regions of the country will be done with social and regional fairness criteria.

Nature

The Colombian Institute of Educational Credit and Technical Studies Abroad - ICETEX, was transformed by the Law 1002 of 2005, in a financial entity of special nature, with legal capacity, administrative autonomy and linked to the Ministry of National Education. The rights and duties such as public setting of national order remain on behalf of ICETEX with its new legal nature.

History

The courage and wish to succeed of Mr. Gabriel Betancur Mejia, lead him to ask for help to one of the most successful companies of that time, the Colombian Tobacco Company, so he could make his studies abroad. That help was given under the condition that he should refund the money as soon as he returned to the country. By this way was established the financing model for low resources students that work nowadays.

Along these 62 years of service to the education, our purpose has been to facilitate the students to have access to better academic programs within the country and to greater opportunities to reach foreign studies, in well-known international institutes.

ICETEX is a model and example for the world. Annually foreign missions come to Colombia to make their internships, so they are aware of the system in order to adapt it to their countries.