Unphu attends CAEI 2025 as part of the Dominican Republic representation The event seeks to promote the country as an “Academic Destination”

Costa Rica, October 15, 2025.

The Dominican Republic made its strong debut at the Congress of the Americas on International Education (CAEI 2025), held in Costa Rica, by officially unveiling the program “Dominican Republic: Academic Destination,” an initiative aimed at positioning the country as a regional leader in higher education, science, culture, and innovation.

Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña participated as part of a delegation consisting of 30 representatives from the national higher education system — including the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT), the associations ADRU, AUPRI, ADOU, ARCA, ASIES, and ADUCA, as well as universities such as PUCMM, UNIBE, ITLA, UCE, ISA, UNAPEC, UAPA, UFHEC, UNICARIBE, ITSC, ISFODOSU, INESDYC, and UTESA.

During the country’s stand opening, Ambassador Dr. José Rafael Espaillat, Caribbean Regional Vice President of the Inter-American University Organization (OUI), stated:

We attended this important International Congress to showcase the transformation of our higher education system, its institutional maturity, and the strategic role it plays in the human, social, and economic development of our region.

As part of the official agenda, the Deputy Minister of International Relations of the MESCyT, Paula Disla, representing the Minister Dr. Franklin García Fermín, participated in the opening plenary “A world in mutation: Reformulating the priorities of higher education in the Americas”. There, she outlined the program’s pillars.

“Dominican Republic, Academic Destination’ reflects a country vision that designates our higher education system as a hub for attracting international talent, fostering scientific cooperation, and promoting regional student mobility.

An expanding academic system

Currently, the Dominican Republic has 57 higher education institutions (14 public and 43 private), more than 300 active international agreements, and a population of over 5,000 international students from 80 countries. Dominican universities are beginning to improve their positions in the top Latin American rankings, supported by internationalization, quality assurance, accreditation, and technological innovation policies promoted by the MESCyT.

The Dominican Republic is a classroom open to the world, where languages, cultures, and knowledge converge to shape global professionals.

The country promotes an academic offering aligned with global trends in STEAM education, digital transformation, and sustainability, connecting higher education with productive sectors and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on quality education.

An invitation from the Caribbean

Faced with the current geopolitical situation, the Dominican Republic reaffirmed its commitment to regional integration and international cooperation before the CAEI.

We are prepared to support our region in its most valuable asset: human talent. Ready to generate knowledge, innovate from our classrooms, and collaborate on global challenges. The Dominican Republic is prepared. Today, we are the new academic destination of the Americas.

The panel was joined by Vice Minister Disla, along with leading international figures such as Paula Bogantes, Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunications of Costa Rica; Pablo Beltrán, President of the Education Council of Ecuador; Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA; and Adriana Gaviria, Executive Director of the College Board of the United States.

About CAEI

The CAEI 2025 is the main gathering for the internationalization of higher education in the Americas, bringing together authorities, academics, researchers, and international organizations to examine the trends and strategies that connect knowledge with sustainable and inclusive development.