PURPOSE: To analyze the association between cognitive function and handgrip strength in a sample of university students of Physical Culture in Bogotá, Colombia. METHODS: the cross-sectional study included a total sample of 104 voluntary university students of Physical Culture, 18 - 25 years old, from Bogotá, Colombia. The handgrip strength was determined by the digital dynamometer and the cognitive function was evaluated individually by trained personnel through the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), to evaluate the speed and flexibility of the processing of auditory information, the sustained and divided attention, as well as the calculation capacity, a standardized audio was used in the speed of the stimulus, presenting the individual digits every 3 seconds (PASAT-3), adding each new digit to the previous one immediately. The shorter stimulus intervals were used in 2 seconds (PASAT-2), increasing the difficulty. The association between cognitive function and handgrip strength adjusted for weight, was performed using the linear logistic regression model in the statistical package SPSS v25. RESULTS: The sample was middle-aged (Age=19.8±2.4yrs; N=87 men). The logistic regression model showed a strong association between hand grip strength adjusted to weight and cognitive function, through the stimulation of PASAT-2 (p = 0.026, Beta = 0.219), compared with PASAT-3 (p = 0.062; Beta = 0.184) where no significant difference was found, however a low tendency is identified. CONCLUSION: the results of this study show that hand grip strength is associated with a better cognitive response in speed and flexibility of processing in college students of Physical Culture of Bogotá, Colombia, for which it is suggested to promote the regular practice of exercise physical that stimulates muscle strength, in order to improve cognitive performance in college students.