University of Tarapacá

The University of Tarapacá was founded in 1981 through DFL No. 150, issued on December 11, 1981, as an autonomous public corporation with legal personality and its own assets. It was established as part of the decentralization process carried out during the higher education reform under the military dictatorship, beginning its activities in 1982.

Although officially founded in 1981 from the Professional Institute of Arica, the University of Tarapacá has a history spanning over 40 years as the successor of both the Arica branch of the University of Chile (which was transformed into the Professional Institute of Arica in 1981) and the Arica branch of the Universidad Católica del Norte. Most of its faculty members originally came from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, which founded the Universidad Católica del Norte.

During its first year, the university established the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Education and Humanities.

Years later, in 1994, through a real estate acquisition, the university obtained the Saucache and Azapa campuses.

In 2004, the university launched the Iquique branch and inaugurated its central library at the Saucache campus. The following year, an annex to the library was opened, and university schools were created. In 2006, the Institute of Advanced Research was established. By 2007, the Esmeralda branch in Iquique was under construction.

Since its founding, the University of Tarapacá has played a key role in the economic, social, and cultural development of the region. It was accredited for five years (2012-2017) by the National Accreditation Commission, covering the areas of institutional management, undergraduate teaching, research, and community engagement.