The University of La Serena (ULS) is a public university located primarily in the city of La Serena in the Coquimbo region of northern Chile. It is situated some 350 miles, or 460 kilometres, north of Chile's capital and largest city, Santiago
Established in 1981 as the result of a merging of the Universidad Tecnica del Estado and the Universidad de Chile, the university carries on the teaching legacy of mining education provided in the region since the 1800s.
Six campuses serve the university, with the Andres Bello, Isabel Bongard, Ignacio Domeyko and Enrique Molina Garmendia campuses all located in La Serena. The Coquimbo campus is named after the commune in which it is situated, and the city of Ovalle is the home of the Limari campus.
The system of libraries of the University of La Serena (SIBULS) offers research resources and consists of the central Irma Salas Silva library, plus bibliographic study rooms located in each campus.
The motto of ULS is "tu universidad estatal en la región Coquimbo", translating simply as "your state university in the Coquimbo Region". It has a focus on education in the technology, science, and humanities fields, and strives to develop students both academically and morally while teaching the importance of responsibility to the environment.
Artistic creation and focused research carried out by the university aims to provide a well rounded education to the students of Coquimbo.
ULS has four primary faculties. These are: faculty of science, faculty of engineering, faculty of humanities, and faculty of social and economic sciences.
