The Autonomous University of Querétaro was established in 1951 by Octavio S. Mondragón in the form of a high school and university that only offered law and engineering degrees, although its origin dates back to 1625, from the Jesuit College of San Ignacio. Since then, the university made several programme additions, whereby in 1952, the school of chemistry and the school of nursing were formed. Later on, in 1953 the Institute of fine Arts was formed, and in 1954 the school of commerce was established.
In 1967 the school of psychology and the school of modern languages were created.
The Cerro de las Campanas campus became the main campus in December 1973.
In 1978, the school of medicine was founded then in 1984 sociology was in introduced. In 1985 veterinary science courses started and in 1978 both the school of informatics (computer science) and the school of philosophy were opened. In 2010 the university opened its new language learning facilities on the grounds of the old Ing. Fernando Espinoza Gutiérrez International Airport.
UAQ has a total of nine campuses located in Cerro de las Campanas, Amealco, Amazcala, Cadereyta, Corregidora, Jalpan, Juriquilla, San Juan del Río, and Tequisquiapan. The university has a total of 13 colleges and six high schools under its administration, which is why their total number of students reached 28,110 in 2016, including over 19,000 undergraduates and almost 2,500 undergraduates.
The school’s motto is "I educate in truth and in honour", which is why the university has been keen on establishing connections and affiliations to their programmes through membership in the National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institution (ANUIES) in Mexico and the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC) based in Tucson, Arizona.
Querétaro is a world heritage city where great biodiversity and different ecosystems coexist in the same place. The city offers numerous activities, from mountain expeditions and a tour of the Great Sierra Gorda to relaxing in any of the nearby villages, surrounded by vineyards and cheese makers. Visiting Capuchinas convent and the old cloister of St. Augustine are unforgettable journeys that must be made while studying in this town.
