About our university

The Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile was founded on June 21, 1988, by Archbishop Santiago Mariano Casanova.

Chilean and foreign students have chosen our University for years, based on its academic excellence, the quality of its infrastructure, its grants and scholarships, and the international projection and strategic alliances that place the UC among the most important universities worldwide.

With 39 Doctoral Programs in different areas of knowledge, the UC has over 800 research projects with external funding currently in process, around 2,632 WOS scientific articles in 2023, and 3,279 in Scopus in 2024.

Over 3.000 doctorate degrees conferred from our university throughout our history, contributing to creating a critical mass of researchers mostly in Chile and Latin America.

UC moved up to 93rd place worldwide in the QS World University Rankings 2025, a 10-place jump from the previous year (103). Considering the ranked institutions, the UC is in the top 6% of the ranking, among the top 100 in the world. In addition, we have the maximum accreditation granted by the National Accreditation Commission (CNA-Chile) for a period of 7 years, from December 2018 to December 2025.

Some of our collaborations are the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), Cruz del Sur University Network (RUCS) and G9 University Network (G9).

In terms of Research and Postgraduate programs, UC has led and influenced society and the scientific community both in the country and in Latin America, leading its way into becoming an important research center in the areas of social sciences, natural sciences, health, economics, agriculture, philosophy, theology, arts and letters.

UC in numbers:

• No. 1 in Latin America in the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences and Management categories in 2025.
• 18 Faculties
• 5 Campus: Casa Central, San Joaquín, Campus Oriente, Lo Contador and Villarrica
• 31 Centers of Excellence
• 40 Interdisciplinary Research Centers
• 9 Centers and Research Field Stations throught out Chile.
• 32 Schools and Institutes, including 6 of an interdisciplinary nature.
• 68 Undergraduate Programs
• 95 Career Opportunities
• 105 Master’s Programs + 4 online
• 76 medical or dental specialties and subspecialties.
• 39 Doctoral Programs
• 31,716 Undergraduate Students
• 1,463 Doctoral Students
• 4,495 Master’s Students

Learn more about our history and our educational offer.