University of Tarapacá

The University of Tarapacá is a public university situated in the port city of Arica in northern Chile. It is member of the Chilean Traditional Universities organisation and is incorporated into the Council of Rectors of the Chilean Universities (CRUCH).

The University of Tarapacá was established in 1981 after the merging of the Arica headquarters of both the Northern University, and the University of Chile (known later as the Professional Institute of Arica) and serves the new Region of Arica and Parinacota.

The university has three campuses in the Arica and Parinacota region: the Saucache campus, the Azapa campus, and Campus Velasquez. There is also a headquarters in Iquique in the Tarapacá Region. Set on a 67,000 square metre site, the university boasts natural laboratories for anthropology and archaeology. The Revista Chungara journal is published by the university.

Undergraduate degrees are offered across 10 teaching faculties: science; agronomy; health sciences; social and legal sciences; education and humanities; university of electrical engineering; university of administration and business; university of industrial engineering and computer science; university of mechanical engineering; and university of virtual education.

The motto of the university - "universidad de verdad" - translates as "university of truth", and the institution claims a strong commitment to improving academic excellence and preparing students to become professional individuals fully equipped to enter the world of work.

Arica, a port city, is Chile's northernmost city and it is located only 18 km, or 11 miles, south of the border with Peru. It has a mild climate, and some of the lowest annual rainfall rates anywhere in the world.