Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo

About

The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Americas, tracing its roots back to 1538. As the largest public university in the Dominican Republic, it is highly regarded for its comprehensive offerings, particularly excelling in fields such as Medicine, Law, Engineering, and Social Sciences. International students, predominantly from Latin America and the Caribbean, are drawn to UASD for its strong academic reputation and affordable education, though instruction is primarily in Spanish. While dedicated English-taught programs are limited, the university's international relations office assists with admissions and integration, providing support within a Spanish-speaking academic environment.

Background

The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) (English: Autonomous University of Santo Domingo) is a public university system in Dominican Republic, with its flagship campus in Ciudad Universitaria (lit. University City) neighborhood of Santo Domingo and regional campuses in many cities of the country. It was founded by Jose Gabriel Garcia and Emiliano Tejera in 1866 as the Professional Institute, replacing the former Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, one of the first universities of the Western Hemisphere (Americas), which was founded unofficially by a Papal bull in 1538, officially by royal decree in 1558, and closed in 1822. It was later renamed University of Santo Domingo in 1914. In structure, the school followed the model of the University of Alcalá de Henares. The university organized its offerings into four schools: Medicine, Law, Theology, and the Arts. Today, the university has expanded to eight schools: Humanities, the Arts, Law and Political Science, Health Sciences, Economics and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering and Architecture, and Agricultural Sciences.

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