Universidad Francisco Marroquin

UFM is a nonprofit institution that operates like an entrepreneurial venture. The mission of UFM is “to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal, and economic principles of a society of free and responsible persons.” It is the only university in the world expressly bound by its mission to promote the principles that sustain a free society. In August 2017, the impact of UFM’s almost five decades of work received public recognition. UFM was ranked number one in the world on the list of Top Fifty Places to Study Classical Economics by TheBestSchools.org. When we asked the author of the article, Stephen DeRose, why he placed UFM first, he wrote: “UFM is completely unique. No other school on the planet is designed top to bottom with liberty in mind. It has the philosophical vision of a think tank and the resources of a university.” Honorary doctorate recipients reflect UFM’s international reach, reputation, and commitment to liberty. They include Nobel laureates James Buchanan, Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Vernon Smith, and Mario Vargas Llosa along with champions of liberty outside the academy, such as Steve Forbes, Matt Ridley, Mary Anastasia O’Grady, and Jim Rogers.Professors do not receive tenure, the board of directors is made up of business people and entrepreneurs, and deans are expected to maintain balanced budgets in their departments. Students in all disciplines—from architecture to medicine to filmmaking—learn the origins and causes of how nations create wealth. They are presented with a wide range of classical liberal perspectives to help them understand the links between individual liberty, genuine free enterprise, and human prosperity.