Formative research is a recent term in the field of education that is nearly related with the high-quality speech from government institutions since it implies the need for innovation in the different aspects of society. From this, many higher education institutions have adopted this concept to develop research competencies and promote adequate training courses for undergraduate students within a curricular structure that consequently improves the development of future professionals by equipping research abilities that allow them to transform the educational and social context. However, the volatile context of education and the statements established by the curricular structure of undergraduate programs in higher education institutions can differ from what is perceived by the subjects in training in formative research courses. Therefore, the aim of this research is to analyze students' perceptions of formative research in the bachelor's degree in foreign languages at Unidad Central del Valle del Cauca with the purpose of being an input for further strengthening the formative research courses of the program. In order to do this, the qualitative approach allowed the researcher to analyze, interpret and describe the posture of students without disturbing their perspective.