Opening a new undergraduate program at a university requires a dedicated process that can be addressed as a multiple-criteria decision-making problem. A suitable method for higher education institutions is proposed. It starts with the identification of the stakeholders affected by the decision followed by the data extraction of their major concerns. A hierarchy is developed in accordance with the levels of importance of the concerns. Then, the analytic hierarchy process is applied so that prioritisation can take place. The application of this method to a particular case in Colombia showed that civil engineering is the most suitable program, followed by electronic and mechanical engineering. It is also concluded that the method can be applied for the selection and opening of any program of any university.