This article reflects upon the low level of reading comprehension in university students, in their first years of university, particularly in the degrees of Law and Psychology in the Cooerative University of Colombia (Barrancabermeja campus).The content of the is the product of research carried out during the year 2007 and 2008 with students of both programmes. The characteristics and skills of reading comprehension of the students of the programmes of Psychology (3o semester) and of Law (4o and 5o semester), of the Cooperative University of Sectional Colombia Barrancabermeja, year 2008 were studied In the research the quantitative positivist paradigm predominated, since they used as a source of fundamental information the test “CLOZE”. From the qualitative results teacher interviews were conducted.