Universidad ORT Uruguay (ORT) is a private research university in Montevideo, Uruguay. Established in 1942 as a technical school and officially recognized as a university in 1996, it is part of the global Jewish educational network World ORT. It enrolls more than 10,000 students across five faculties and two institutes, making it one of the largest private higher education institutions in the country.
Universidad ORT Uruguay traces its origins to 1942, when it was founded as a technical school by members of UruguayâÂÂs Jewish community. The initiative formed part of the international network of World ORT, established in 1880 in Saint Petersburg, and sought to provide vocational training to immigrants arriving in UruguayâÂÂmany of them fleeing NazismâÂÂin order to facilitate their social and economic integration.
By the 1980s, ORT Uruguay had expanded its academic offerings, particularly in electronics and computer science. In 1985, it applied to the Ministry of Education and Culture for official recognition of its tertiary degrees in Systems Analysis and Electronics, which was granted in 1988. These authorisations were among the first granted by the Uruguayan state to a non-governmental tertiary institution. That same year, the institution established the School of Management, regarded as the first business school in Uruguay.
In 1995, the government enacted the countryâÂÂs first legal framework regulating private universities, at a time when the only university in operation was the public University of the Republic. In February 1996, ORT Uruguay became the first institution to apply for authorisation under the new legislation and was formally recognised as a private university in September of that year.
Between 1996 and 1999, its principal academic faculties were created. The Faculty of Engineering consolidated several pre-existing departments, followed by the Faculty of Administration and Social SciencesâÂÂsuccessor to the School of ManagementâÂÂthe Faculty of Communication and Design, and, in 1999, the Faculty of Architecture.
In 2003, the Institute of Jewish Studies was reorganised to promote research and outreach activities related to Jewish history and culture in Uruguay, antisemitism, and the Shoah, including seminars, publications and documentary projects. In 2008, the Faculty of Communication and Design signed an academic cooperation agreement with the California Institute of the Arts, supporting the launch of undergraduate programmes in Animation and Video Games.
From 1977 to 2024, the universityâÂÂs rector was Charlotte de Grünberg, a Belgian-born Holocaust survivor who had resided in Uruguay since 1952. ORT Uruguay is a member of several international academic associations, including the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Union of Latin American Universities (UDUAL). Its Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme was ranked among the best in Latin America for the 21st consecutive year in 2017, according to the annual ranking published by AméricaEconomÃÂa.
Universidad ORT Uruguay is a large research university offering 30 undergraduate degree programmes, 24 undergraduate diploma programmes, and 43 postgraduate degrees. Since July 2020, the university has been listed in the Times Higher Education Latin America University Rankings.
ORTâÂÂs Graduate School of Business Master of Business Administration (MBA) has been ranked between 131st and 140th globally in the 2021 QS Quacquarelli Symonds Executive MBA Rankings, placing 7th in Latin America and becoming the only MBA programme in Uruguay included in that classification. The programme has also been accredited by the Association of MBAs and was the only Uruguayan MBA featured in the '
For the twenty-eighth consecutive year (as of September 2023), ORTâÂÂs Faculty of Business Administration and Social Sciences has been the only Uruguayan business school ranked among the top 25 in Latin America in the annual ranking conducted by América EconomÃÂa. In September 2021, QS Quacquarelli Symonds placed the university among the worldâÂÂs top 550 institutions for graduate employability.