Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile is one of the country's leading higher education institutions. According to the 2014 QS World University Rankings, it holds first place in Latin America, followed by the University of São Paulo.

It has over 27,300 undergraduate and graduate students across its 18 faculties, covering diverse areas such as Social Sciences, Arts, Humanities, Basic and Health Sciences, and Engineering, attracting the best students of each generation. Currently, it has five campuses—four in Santiago and one in Villarrica—and a faculty with 901 professors holding postgraduate degrees or medical specializations. Both Chilean candidates and members of foreign institutions who can contribute to teaching and research are considered for faculty selection. In the latter area, the Catholic University produces approximately a quarter of all academic publications in Chile annually.

It boasts a vast network of international partnerships with universities around the world, fostering research and student exchange. This has resulted in approximately 1,600 students from diverse backgrounds spending a semester each year attending classes at one of its campuses. Continuing its ongoing development, the Catholic University inaugurated the UC-Anacleto Angelini Innovation Center in 2014, providing the necessary infrastructure to bridge the gap between academia and industry, thereby promoting research and entrepreneurship.

It was founded on June 21, 1888, at the initiative of the Archbishop of Santiago, Monsignor Mariano Casanova, with the aim of being an institution that integrated academic excellence with an education inspired by Catholic values. Four decades later, it was established as a Pontifical University, and throughout its history, it has fulfilled its mandate to train professionals and researchers of the highest caliber to serve Chile.