Pontifical Catholic University of Chile facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Motto	In Christi lumine pro mundi vita
Type	Private (Traditional)
Established	21 June 1888; 137 years ago (1888-06-21)
Religious affiliation	Catholic Church
Academic affiliations	Clover 2030 Engineering
Chancellor	Fernando Chomalí Garib, Archbishop of Santiago
Rector	Juan Carlos de la Llera
Academic staff	1,652 (full-time)
Administrative staff	2,210 (full-time)
Students	33,769
Undergraduates	29,212
Postgraduates	4,557
Address	Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins #340 , Santiago , Santiago Metropolitan Region , Chile
Mascot	Pangui

The main building of UC Chile

Inside the main building

The "Siamese Towers" at the School of Architecture

The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (often called UC Chile) is a well-known private university located in Santiago, Chile. It is one of the oldest universities in Chile, founded way back in 1888. It's also one of the top universities in Latin America. For example, in 2025, it was ranked 2nd in the region and 93rd in the world by QS Ranking.

UC Chile has a friendly rivalry with the University of Chile. Both are very respected universities in the country. One is a Catholic university, and the other is not connected to a religion. This rivalry even extends to sports, especially football!

University Campuses

UC Chile has several campuses where students learn and study. There are four campuses in Santiago, the capital city, and one campus in Villarrica, a town further south.

The campuses in Santiago are:

• Casa Central (this is the main building in downtown Santiago)
• San Joaquín (located in the Macul area of Santiago)
• Oriente (in the Ñuñoa area of Santiago)
• Lo Contador (in the Providencia area of Santiago)

These campuses have many buildings and spaces for students. The Villarrica campus is smaller but also offers great learning opportunities.

A Look at History

UC Chile was started on June 21, 1888. It was founded by the Archbishop of Santiago. The idea was to teach students important skills for jobs like law, business, chemistry, and even electricity. The first leader of the university was Monsignor Joaquín Larraín Gandarillas. When it first opened, it only taught two subjects: law and mathematics.

Because it is a "Pontifical" university, it has always had a close connection with the Vatican in Rome. In 1930, Pope Pius XI officially named it a pontifical university. A year later, in 1931, the Chilean government gave it full freedom to run its own academic programs.

UC Chile is a private university with many campuses in the city. It is one of eleven Catholic universities in Chile. Even though it's private, the Chilean government helps support it with money for different programs.

The university has 18 different departments, called faculties. These are spread across the four Santiago campuses and the one in Villarrica. UC Chile also has special centers that help with technical training and community work, like the Duoc UC and the Rural Life Foundations. They also have a Sports Club and a hospital connected to the Faculty of Medicine.

Many famous buildings in Chile were designed by graduates from UC Chile's School of Architecture. These include the university's own main building and the National Library.

Some very important people have studied at UC Chile. These include Saint Alberto Hurtado, a Jesuit priest who is now a saint in Chile, and Eduardo Frei Montalva, who was a Chilean president. Both of them studied law. Another former Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera, studied economics at the university.

Teamwork and Collaborations

UC Chile works with other universities around the world to share knowledge and ideas.

• The Department of Industry and System Engineering works with the Stanford Technology Venture Program at Stanford University. They collaborate on new ideas and technology projects.
• In 2011, the engineering schools of UC Chile and the University of Notre Dame in the United States agreed to offer a special joint degree in civil engineering and geological sciences. This partnership has grown to include other departments too.
• In 2013, UC Chile and the University of Notre Dame also signed an agreement to make their academic connections even stronger. This allows professors, students, and university representatives from both places to visit, work, study, and collaborate with each other.

University Rankings

UC Chile is often ranked among the top universities in Latin America. For example, the QS World University Rankings has named it the best university in Latin America for several years in a row (from 2018 to 2023). The Times Higher Education University Rankings also gave it the top spot in Latin America in 2019 and 2020.

The university also does very well in specific subjects. According to the Shanghai ranking, it's ranked highly in Economics and Management (around 101–150) and in Mathematics (around 151–200).

What You Can Study at UC Chile

UC Chile offers a wide range of subjects and programs for students. Here are some of the main areas of study:

Special Institutes and Centers

UC Chile also has special centers for research and projects:

• Center of Studies of Social Undertakings
• Instituto Milenio para la Investigación en Depresión y Personalidad – MIDAP
• Núcleo Milenio Research Center in Entrepreneurial Strategy Under Uncertainty

Famous People Who Studied Here

Many notable people have graduated from UC Chile, making important contributions in various fields.

Architecture

• Alejandro Aravena (a famous architect who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2016)
• Smiljan Radic
• Emilio Duhart
• Fernando Castillo Velasco
• Juan Grimm, Landscape architect

Art and Literature

• Egon Wolff (a playwright)
• Roberto Matta (a well-known Surrealist painter)
• Jorge Díaz (a playwright)
• Diamela Eltit (an author)
• Paula Escobar (a journalist and academic)
• Laila Havilio (a sculptor)
• Paloma Valdivia (an author and illustrator)

Economics

• Miguel Kast (a former governor of the Central Bank of Chile)
• José Piñera
• Joaquín Lavín
• Sebastián Edwards (a professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management)
• Sebastián Piñera (a former Chilean president)
• Felipe Larraín
• Ricardo Caballero (a professor at MIT)

Politics

• Eduardo Frei Montalva (a former President of Chile)
• Sebastián Piñera (a former President of Chile)
• Adolfo Zaldívar
• Arturo Frei Bolívar
• Ena von Baer (a former Minister)
• Fernando Castillo Velasco
• Hernán Larraín
• Fernando Flores
• Jaime Guzmán
• Joaquín Lavín
• Osvaldo Andrade
• Radomiro Tomic
• Tomás Jocelyn-Holt
• José Antonio Kast
• Giorgio Jackson

Religion

• Alberto Hurtado (a Jesuit priest and Chile's second saint)
• Raúl Silva Henríquez (a former Archbishop of Santiago de Chile)

Both of these important religious figures studied law at the university.

Science

• Francisco Claro Huneeus
• Héctor Croxatto Rezzio (a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences)
• Joaquín Luco Valenzuela (the first Chilean to specialize in neuroscience)
• Juan de Dios Vial Correa (a former president of the Pontifical Academy for Life)
• Juan Carlos Castilla (an expert in marine life)
• Leopoldo Soto Norambuena (a former President of the Chilean Physics Society)
• Nibaldo Inestrosa Cantin (a neurobiologist)
• Neva Milicic Müller (a psychologist)
• Rafael Vicuña Errázuriz

Helping the Community

UC Chile also works to share its knowledge and provide services to the community.

• DICTUC SA: This group offers expert advice in engineering, management, and new ideas.
• Salud Clinica UC: This is a health network connected to the university.
• Hospital of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: A hospital linked to the university.
• Mega UC Health Centres: These centers provide health services, including maternity care.

See also

In Spanish: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile para niños