It is located on Calle 80 Suba Avenue, in the north-west of the city of Bogotá[1] It was established on 1 June 1907 by decree 434 which was signed by President Rafael Reyes.

On 1 June 1907, the Military School of Colombia was established under the presidency of Rafael Reyes and it was under the direction of the Chilean army Captains Arturo Ahumada Bascuñán in the position of superintendent and Diego Guillén Santana as dean.

On July 25, 1976, the New Granada Military University was born in the facilities of the School with 210 students, with Brigadier General Gustavo Matamoros D'Costa being its first Rector.

2537 of October 17, 1979, the Military Cadets School was given the honorific title General José María Córdova in honor of the 150th anniversary of his death and the 155th of the great victory of Ayacucho.

In 2009, 102 years after its founding, the alma mater of the National Army incorporated for the first time in its ranks female personnel, to form as weapons officers in the specialties of intelligence, logistics and engineering.

The academic program consists of a structured core of subjects depending on the cadet's chosen specialty as a future Army officer, balanced between the arts and sciences.

The School also has links with military academies in Latin America and thus also has a sizable number of foreign exchange cadets who graduate as Second Lieutenants and with a bachelor's degree and thus return to their countries of origin to serve in their ground forces.