The Ministry of Education announces surveillance measures against the University of Antioquia due to deteriorating liquidity and financial management.

The Ministry of Education announced the adoption of preventive and special surveillance measures for the University of Antioquia, after the ministry learned of significant financial findings, which were revealed during an inspection visit to the institution in 2024.

According to the Ministry, the decision was made after discovering a deterioration in the university's liquidity, as well as problems with financial management and the use of resources. For the institution, this situation "puts the quality and continuity of the educational service at risk."

Thus, and as stipulated by, among other regulations, Law 30 of 1992 and Law 1740 of 2014, the Ministry announced the following actions:

It's worth noting that these special surveillance measures are part of the university inspection and oversight procedure and are applied in cases where serious irregularities are found. This occurred, for example, a couple of years ago with Sergio Arboleda University.

Furthermore, when these measures are not sufficient and irregularities persist, there have been cases in which universities have ended up being taken over, as occurred with the Universidad San Martín and the Universidad Autónoma de Colombia (the latter still under the control of the Ministry).

EL TIEMPO had access to Resolution 016105 of 2025, in which the Ministry of Education announced special surveillance measures at the University of Antioquia.

In it, the entity maintains that "the Higher Education Institution faces limitations in controlling spending, a situation reflected in the pressure on available resources."

This decision is justified by a technical report from the Inspection and Surveillance Department, which resulted from two visits to the university, which occurred after the university's liquidity problems became known.

The report reads: "Although the SNIES (National Higher Education Information System) report must account for the reality of the HEI, including all situations that have any impact on its financial situation and as provided by the General Accounting Office of the Nation, there are differences in the balances of assets and liabilities, between the Financial Statements and other sources of information, such as: HECAA–SNIES, allegedly violating Resolution No. 009573 of 2021."

In other words, the university's financial support does not match what was reported to the SNIES.

Furthermore, it was found that "the HEI's cash flow suggests that the HEI faces challenges in containing expenses, as well as showing a structural change with a considerable increase in the acquisition of property, plant, and equipment, against which the efficiency of these long-term investments should have been evaluated to ensure that resources are being conserved and utilized appropriately."

And he adds that the university has "a high dependence on accounts receivable, which indicates that it must manage its portfolio to ensure resources to cover its short-term obligations . This is reflected in indicators such as the acid test, working capital, and operating and net margins, which, in addition to demonstrating the need for collection, imply a decrease in operational capacity and management efficiency."

MATEO CHACÓN ORDUZ | Education Deputy Editor