ICETEX Forgivable Credit for Colombian Artists 2026

ICETEX, Colombia's state student-financing institute, has opened a new round of its Forgivable Credit program for artists (Credito Condonable para Artistas), which finances master's degrees abroad with credit that is 100% forgivable when the recipient completes the program and returns to share their knowledge in Colombia.

The program supports in-person, hybrid and online master's programs lasting one to two years in disciplines including visual and plastic arts, applied arts, performing arts, music, film, literature and publishing, and cultural heritage management and promotion. Applicants must be Colombian, between 18 and 45 years of age, and admitted to a qualifying master's program abroad. A central requirement is a social return project through which beneficiaries transfer and apply what they learn, strengthening Colombia's artistic and cultural sector.

ICETEX president Alvaro Urquijo framed the program as a way to strengthen the pedagogical, technical and creative capacities of the national arts ecosystem, to build international networks of cultural cooperation, to encourage innovation in arts training, and to help close territorial and socioeconomic gaps in access to high-level international education. The financing covers costs associated with completing the degree, with the forgiveness benefit tied to satisfactory completion and the social return commitment.

Interested artists register through the ICETEX website. The program is part of a broader effort to project the futures of Colombians who build their lives around art and creation, giving more people access to specialized training and the chance to bring that expertise home.