Welfare

It is the unit in charge of developing strategies for student admission, retention and graduation from a comprehensive and preventive approach that allows the identification of student dropout risks in multi-causal variables of economic, psychosocial, family and academic type.
It implements different strategies in a coordinated, monitored and planned manner, to improve permanence with quality from the integral accompaniment of students throughout the academic cycle.

Objetive

Implement strategies of characterization, follow-up and accompaniment that guarantee favorable conditions for the admission, permanence and graduation of students of the Catholic University of Manizales.

Strategy

Admission, permanence and graduation program.

Services

• SIAT - Integrated Early Warning System
  The Early Warning System, SIAT, is a software that allows the timely detection of students at risk of dropping out, through the definition and categorization of psychosocial, family, economic and academic variables that have an impact on dropout; this is addressed through a risk traffic light, which determines the priority and systematized assignment to the instances of support and intervention. This system allows collecting information from the moment the student enters the institution, in order to identify in advance some risk factors or causes that may hinder permanence. In addition, it records the interventions offered to each student and monitors their effectiveness so that a follow-up can be made. 
• Integral Accompaniment
  Strategy that allows the accompaniment of students in their academic and personal process through the figure of a teacher-tutor in articulation with an interdisciplinary team belonging to the Vice Rectory of Welfare and Campus Ministry. Through this strategy, individual and group follow-up and intervention is carried out according to the needs found in the students.
• Academic follow-up
  Undergraduate students are followed up academically from the evaluation cohorts, in order to support academic difficulties through tutoring, psycho-pedagogical support, study habits, time management and combine a series of institutional strategies aimed at reducing subject repetition, desertion and in itself contribute to academic achievement.
• Advising for higher education financing
  In agreement with financial entities, students and parents are advised on the different loans available to finance higher education.
  Among the agreements that the University has with the Colombian Institute of Educational Credit and Technical Studies Abroad ICETEX, through the different modalities of short, medium and long term credits; forgivable credits, support subsidy, among others. Similarly, agreements are established with banks with favorable rates that allow the course of undergraduate and graduate studies.
  On the other hand, the University has some economic incentives that favor the permanence of students, such as compensation scholarships, academic scholarships, monitoring scholarships, scholarships for student mobility and sports and cultural discounts; these modalities are determinant both for the support of the permanence of students who economically need it, and also translate into a stimulus for students with outstanding academic performance.
• Individual attention and support
  Throughout the entire academic process, the permanence support unit provides personalized attention to students in multi-causal factors that may have an impact on dropout, which involves planning and interdisciplinary work to respond to particular needs.
  Students reported with risk of desertion through the SIAT, a route of professional accompaniment is activated to address the risk according to the needs (psychological, economic, family, academic) and thus promote their permanence in the institution.
• Attrition reports
  The attrition reports allow monitoring the behavior of institutional attrition throughout the semester, inter-semester and by five-year cohorts (analyzing entry and graduation in the established time frame). It also makes it possible to calculate the dropout risk for the selection and evaluation of intervention strategies for situations that influence dropout.

Scholarships and incentives UCM

• Por rendimiento académico: El 40% del valor de la matrícula al mejor promedio en cada programa de pregrado.
• De Compensación: El 30% del valor de la matrícula a estudiantes de pregrado con dificultades económica verificadas. Se otorga a partir del segundo semestre.
• Incentivo por pertenecer a selección deportiva o semillero cultural: 10% en el valor de la matrícula.

Icetex Agreement

There you will be able to apply for credit for undergraduate and graduate students.

http://www.icetex.gov.co/dnnpro5/esco/cr%C3%A9ditoeducativo/pregrado.aspx

Forgivable Credits:

Indigenous Communities Fund

For more information visit the following link

Fund for victims of the armed conflict

For more information visit the following link

Fund for Afro communities

For more information visit the following link

Let your light shine before all, so that they may see your good works and praise the Father in heaven.

Mateo 5:16

We invite you to collaborate together in social causes that impact and illuminate the lives of those who need it most.

Join and get certified as a volunteer!

Accompanies and supports the university community in strengthening processes of interaction with the environment and social promotion. Social work at UCM is oriented to favor the development of healthy human bonds that allow wellbeing.

Objetive

Accompany the university community through processes of promotion, orientation and counseling to contribute to the improvement of their quality of life in the context of current youth and family problems.

Services

• Personalized attention to the university community

Individual attention is given to the university community in order to provide counseling and guidance in personal, family and social situations that affect coexistence and well-being.

• Socioeconomic studies

It is carried out to know the socioeconomic conditions and the environment of the student, to meet their needs through the different services offered by the university.

• University School of Leadership

The university leadership school aims to promote the formation of leaders at the Catholic University of Manizales with educational and pedagogical tools that promote healthy coexistence and social projection based on the principles and values of the University.

• Social pastoral care and outreach to vulnerable groups and communities

The social pastoral integrates the social practice from the Christian human formation with vulnerable population through solidarity work, following the institutional values of the Catholic University of Manizales.

Become a volunteer, we invite you to participate in our solidarity projects such as visits to homes for the elderly, institutions for the protection of children and adolescents, women heads of households and / or deprived of liberty and other vulnerable communities.

• Parent training meetings

The Formative Meeting of Parents is a special space for family interaction, cultural rapprochement and the strengthening of student-family-university communication, where they get to know the university where their children are educated and reflect on the new context in which they live.

• Induction of new undergraduate students

The induction week is a space created by the Universidad Católica de Manizales preferentially for first semester students of undergraduate programs, this includes a series of activities that allow the student to learn about the university, the importance of the institutional principles and values, it also provides a first contact with the university community and the promotion of services that will intervene in the student's training process.

• Orientation and counseling to foreign students

Information and accompaniment is provided to students who come to study in the city, so that they are placed in rooms close to the university, these places must have adequate conditions for the student to feel satisfied and facilitate the process of adaptation to university life.

• Compensatory scholarships

The Universidad Católica de Manizales, grants scholarships to some students who for different reasons are not in economic conditions to pay the total value of tuition; this scholarship covers 35% of an undergraduate academic semester and is awarded to students from second semester onwards.
The student beneficiary of the compensatory scholarship in return performs 100 hours of service in the different departments of the University.

• Godfather Plan

It is a food subsidy provided to UCM students, with the voluntary economic contribution of the university's collaborators, which allows students with greater economic needs to have a better welfare and thus be able to meet the objectives and goals proposed upon entering higher education.

The UCM student accompaniment routes allow the implementation of academic and welfare strategies as a contribution to the promotion of permanence and graduation of students. These enable the recognition of the factors associated with the situation to be improved, as well as the transformation of pedagogical practices in relation to quality benchmarks, the pedagogical work of teachers and the competencies to be developed in students, guiding the processes towards comprehensive training. 

Click on each of the routes below:

What is Mentoring? 

It is a strategy of accompaniment of students for students, in which they share their experiences at the University. 

Who can participate in the Mentoring Program?

Mentoring: Undergraduate students from IV semester onwards, who want to accompany other students in their process of adaptation to university life and who wish to receive encouragement. 

Mentee: Undergraduate students from I to III semester who want to be accompanied by other students in their passage through the University. 

What are the benefits and incentives of mentoring? 

• Helps personal growth and development 
• Strengthens and develops skills and attitudes for decision making.
• Generates and strengthens the service attitude. 
• Strengthens interpersonal and social relationships. 
• Increased knowledge of institutional services. 
• Discounts on English levels.
• Food bonds. 
• Colombia aprende and UCM certifications. 

Where can I register for the Mentoring strategy? 

Registration can be made at the social work office, where you can also ask questions and receive more information.