The Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción was founded on July 10th, 1991, by ordinance of the Bishop of the Archdiocese of the Santísima Concepción, Monsignor Antonio Moreno Casamitjana. The regional branch campus of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Talcahuano, created in 1970, provided the foundation for the new University.
The University is a private entity, receiving some state support. Legally autonomous, it is a member of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities. This is a network of so-called traditional universities, in other words, those working within the main scientific and intellectual frameworks of our country.