The Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (UAO) is a private university, established in 1970. Its first seat was in Champagnat neighborhood, in Cali. In 1999 construction of its new campus was completed, located in the south of the city, in an area called Valle del Lilí.

UAO has four faculties and 28 undergraduate programs (two of them by dual education system), 41 postgraduate and 8 master's degree.

The university's highlights in the region are the high investment in technology and investigation, reflected by its 64 laboratories, faculty staff with doctorate and master's degrees, and 29 research groups, 26 of which are accepted by Colciencias.

• Lucia Aldana, Miss Colombia 2012