Grupo Argos Foundation and Universidad del Norte announce scholarship partnership for young people in Barranquilla

• The partnership awarded 10 scholarships for the first semester of 2026 in Barranquilla and Soledad.
• A total of 1,343 people applied; the 10 scholarship recipients will receive full tuition coverage and language support, as well as living stipends.
• The program covers up to 10.5 monthly minimum wages (SMLMV) per semester for tuition and up to 3.7 SMLMV for living expenses, with comprehensive, personalized support throughout the students’ time at the university.
• Grupo Argos Foundation has more than 10 years of experience in scholarships: its program has achieved an 83% employability rate and a 97% retention rate, positively impacting the lives of more than 300 young people.

Grupo Argos Foundation and Universidad del Norte formalized a five-year cooperation agreement to award 10 full undergraduate scholarships in Barranquilla. The partnership aims to improve access to, and retention in, higher education for talented young people with strong potential in Colombia’s Caribbean region. During the first semester of 2026, the University and the Foundation awarded 10 scholarships to young people from Barranquilla and Soledad.

The program’s first call for applications received an outstanding response: 1,343 people applied for this first semester. Selected recipients will receive 100% coverage of undergraduate tuition and the language courses required by Universidad del Norte, in addition to a living stipend of up to 3.7 monthly legal minimum wages (SMLMV) per semester, aimed at supporting their adaptation to—and continued success in—the university environment.

“ We know that access to education is only the first step. That is why, from Grupo Argos Foundation and hand in hand with Universidad del Norte, we are fostering young talent in the Caribbean region and reaffirming Grupo Empresarial Argos’ commitment to the business, social, and environmental development of this territory for more than 80 years. We believe education is a lever for transformation and social mobility to build a better future for Barranquilla and the region.”

María Camila Villegas 
Executive Director, Grupo Argos Foundation

“This year we are celebrating Universidad del Norte’s 60th anniversary, and that history is closely linked to Argos, because the land where the campus stands today began with the Company’s donation of the property. We celebrate this new phase of our relationship through these scholarships because education is the best public and private investment: it is the foundation for reducing inequality in the country, and it transforms individual and collective income distribution by expanding access to high-quality educational opportunities. Education enables people to enter the labor market and earn good incomes, but it also generates a broader social impact by helping the country grow faster, enabling technological change through people.”

Adolfo Meisel
President (Rector), Universidad del Norte

Under this partnership, students’ tuition is jointly covered by the University and Grupo Argos Foundation. In addition, the Foundation provides the beneficiaries’ living stipends and contributes its experience in designing a comprehensive, personalized support model that includes academic and psychosocial follow-up, as well as guidance for the transition to university life and into the workforce. Over the past decade, this scholarship program has benefited more than 300 young people, achieving an 83% employability rate and a 97% retention rate.