Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso
On September 21, 1925, the first stone was laid for what is today one of the most prestigious and long-standing institutions of higher education in Chile. Three years later, on March 25, 1928, the Catholic University of Valparaíso opened its doors to 700 students from the region.
The beginnings of this House of Studies were possible thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Isabel Caces de Brown, a lady from Valparaíso who, together with her daughters, Mrs. Isabel Brown de Brunet and Mrs. María Teresa Brown de Ariztía, stood out for their importance in the history of Valparaíso.
Its first rector was the Priest Rubén Castro Rojas, and in its beginnings it was divided into two faculties: that of Applied Sciences and Mathematics, and that of Economic Sciences and Commerce, and it taught free language courses and practical branches of commerce and industrial evening courses for workers and employees.
Since the beginning of its academic activities in March 1928, the Catholic University of Valparaíso has developed an uninterrupted academic, research and extension work, directing its work towards the cultivation of the arts, science and knowledge, always under the motto bequeathed by its founders: Faith and Work.
One of its most relevant periods began in 1951 with the arrival of the Society of Jesus, a stage in which the General Secretariat was created, the entire internal structure was reorganized and a new General Statute was issued.
As an example of the technological and professional leadership achieved in this period, the UCV carried out the first experimental open television broadcast in Chile on October 5, 1957, and in August 1959, the first television channel in the country, UCV Television, was officially inaugurated.
Linked to the Church through the diocese of Valparaíso, the University has had ten Grand Chancellors. It is worth noting that three of them, Monsignor Raúl Silva Henríquez, Monsignor Jorge Medina Estévez and Monsignor Francisco Javier Errázuriz, have been invested as Cardinals. In 2003, the University received great recognition from the Holy See when it was awarded the title of Pontifical.
Currently, the University has nine Faculties: Law, Engineering, Economic and Administrative Sciences, Architecture and Urbanism, Philosophy and Education, Agricultural and Food Sciences, Science, Marine Sciences and Geography, and Ecclesiastical Theology.
In addition, PUCV is now part of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities, belongs to the Association of Regional Universities of Chile and to the G9 University Network (non-state public universities).
In its more than 90 years of history, it has established itself as a leader in undergraduate teaching, research, postgraduate studies, extension and community outreach, and has consolidated its presence in the Valparaíso Region with campuses and offices in Viña del Mar, Quillota, Quilpué, Curauma and Valparaíso, as well as in Providencia in the Metropolitan Region. The quality of its academics and students are a reflection of a valuable tradition that endures over time and is projected into the future.
Since January 2022, PUCV has the highest distinction of excellence, being one of the five universities in the country that have 7 years of accreditation, granted by the National Accreditation Commission.
