University of Chile

The yellow building you see here is the University of Chile, fondly known as “La U.” Founded by the Chilean state on September 17, 1842, it was the first university established in the new Republic and is considered the country’s most prestigious academic institution. When it was created, “La U” replaced the Real Universidad de San Felipe, founded in 1738, which itself had taken over from the even older Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, dating back to 1622. The University of Chile was founded just over two decades after Chile’s independence from Spain, when the young nation urgently needed to modernise and build its future. The goal was to educate the country’s future leaders and create a solid foundation for independence in economics, politics, society, and culture. The University has also shaped Santiago and plays a major role in Chilean society. For example, it was the University that wrote the national Civil Code. It helped develop public transport systems, tackled major social issues like child malnutrition, led scientific expeditions across the country, expanded Chile’s maritime claims, and pioneered research in seismology. For Chileans, getting into “La U” is a grand honour—a sign of academic excellence and a step toward a successful future. Most of Chile’s presidents studied here, and the university is proud to count two Nobel Prize-winning poets and diplomats among its alumni, Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral.