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Finis Terrae University

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Finis Terrae University
TypePrivate
Established1981
Religious affiliation
Catholic
RectorJuan Eduardo Vargas
Students10,243 (2024)
Undergraduates8,809 (2024)
Postgraduates1,434 (2024)
Location
Santiago, Chile
Campus
  • Urban
Websitefinis.cl
Map

Finis Terrae University (Spanish: Universidad Finis Terrae; UFT) is a private Catholic university in Santiago, Chile. It was established as a private, non-profit foundation in 1981 and began academic operations in 1988 with programs in law and business administration. The university obtained institutional autonomy in 1996 and subsequently expanded its academic programs into the arts, humanities, engineering, education and health sciences.[1][2]

The university describes itself as a Catholic institution and a member of the educational institutions of the Regnum Christi movement. It is a member of the Regnum Christi International Universities (RIU), an international network that includes institutions in Chile, Spain, the United States, Italy and Mexico.[3][4]

In 2024, the university had 10,243 students, including 8,809 undergraduate and 1,434 postgraduate students. It had nine faculties at the time and offered 27 undergraduate programs and 102 postgraduate and continuing-education programs.[2] The university is accredited by Chile's National Accreditation Commission for five years from 2024, in institutional management, undergraduate teaching, community engagement and research.[5]

History

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The university was established on 26 October 1981 as a private, non-profit foundation under Chilean higher-education legislation. It was founded by a group of Chilean politicians, intellectuals and businesspeople, including Pablo Baraona, Sergio de Castro, Álvaro Bardón, Julio Philippi Izquierdo, Eugenio Valenzuela, Fernando Léniz, Domingo Arteaga, Patricio Guzmán Mira and Juan Carlos Dörr. The original project was conceived as an interdisciplinary university.[6][7]

The university began academic activities in March 1988 under rector Pablo Baraona, initially offering law and business administration at a site on the corner of Grajales and Vergara in the Barrio República area of Santiago. It began with 178 students. In 1989, the university moved its main campus to Casa Vial at Avenida Pedro de Valdivia 1509 in Providencia, where its main campus remains.[2]

During its first decade, the university expanded its academic offerings to include journalism, history, architecture, design, visual arts and acting. By the end of the decade it had approximately 2,000 students and had obtained institutional autonomy from the Consejo Superior de Educación.[2]

The university obtained institutional autonomy in 1996.[8] In 1999, the university entered into an association agreement with the Legionaries of Christ, which contributed to subsequent developments in its infrastructure, institutional development, academic programs and extension activities.[9]

In the 2000s and 2010s, the university expanded into health sciences, engineering and other professional and academic fields. In 2009 it joined the CRUCH admissions system, and by 2010 it had eight faculties, 21 undergraduate programs and 36 postgraduate programs.[2]

In 2019, the university began a process of institutional development aimed at increasing its academic complexity, including changes to its academic model and the development of new areas of research. In 2021 it established its first doctoral program, in exercise sciences, in cooperation with the Catholic University of Leuven.[2]

In 2024, the National Accreditation Commission reaccredited the university for five years in institutional management, undergraduate teaching and community engagement, and accredited it for the first time in research.[2][5]

Academic organization

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As of 2026, the university has eight faculties:[10]

  • Faculty of Architecture, Design and Creative Studies
  • Faculty of Arts
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Economics and Business
  • Faculty of Education and Social Sciences
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Medicine and Health
  • Faculty of Humanities and Communications

The university's academic activities include undergraduate and postgraduate education, research and artistic creation. Its institutional mission emphasizes the integration of sciences, humanities and the arts, alongside a Catholic educational identity.[11]

In 2024, the university reported 27 undergraduate programs and 102 postgraduate and postgraduate-continuing programs, as well as more than 14,000 graduates and undergraduate degree recipients.[2]

Governance

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The university is governed by a Superior Council and a rectorate. Juan Eduardo Vargas became rector in April 2025 for the 2025–2030 term, succeeding Cristian Nazer, who had served as rector since 2013.[12]

The current rectorate includes Elisa Marchant as vice rector for academic affairs, Víctor Polanco as vice rector for research, artistic creation and innovation, Hernán Solís as vice rector for economic affairs, Alejandra Cetty as vice rector for community engagement, extension and communications, José Mateos as vice rector for integral formation, and Daniela Sarrás as secretary general.[13]

Catholic identity and affiliations

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The university identifies itself as a Catholic institution of higher education and states that its mission is to contribute to the integral formation of people who can contribute to the transformation of society and culture according to Christian values. Its institutional values include the dignity and centrality of the person, a sense of transcendence, the pursuit of truth, the common good, beauty and dialogue.[3][14]

The university is part of the Regnum Christi International Universities (RIU), a collaborative network of higher-education institutions associated with the Regnum Christi movement. The RIU includes the University Finis Terrae and institutions in Spain, the United States, Italy and Mexico, including universities of the Anáhuac network.[4][15]

Campus

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The university's main campus is located at Avenida Pedro de Valdivia 1509 in Providencia, Santiago. It moved to the site in 1989, after beginning its academic activities the previous year in the Barrio República area.[2]

References

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  1. ↑ "Nuestra Identidad". Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Historia". Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Identidad católica". Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Red de Universidades". Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Acta de Sesiones: Acuerdo N°4517" (PDF). Comisión Nacional de Acreditación. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "Pablo Baraona, fundador de la Finis Terrae: "En la universidad no puede mandar el capital"". El Mostrador. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Editores Finis Terrae (1993). "Crónica de la Universidad Finis Terrae". Finisterrae: Segunda época (1): 103–112.
  8. ↑ Consejo Superior de Educación (25 January 1996). "Acuerdo Nº26/96" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "Universidad Finis Terrae celebra sus 30 años de aniversario". Universidad Finis Terrae. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Nuestras Facultades". Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "Proyecto Universitario". Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Juan Eduardo Vargas asume como nuevo rector de la Universidad Finis Terrae". Universidad Finis Terrae. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "Autoridades". Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ideario Institucional" (PDF). Universidad Finis Terrae. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  15. ↑ "La Red de Universidades Anáhuac". Universidad Anáhuac. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
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33°26′12″S 70°36′29″W / 33.43667°S 70.60806°W / -33.43667; -70.60806

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