Universidad del Desarrollo

About Universidad del Desarrollo

Universidad del Desarrollo began academic activity in Concepción in 1990 with 100 students in one business program. It achieved full institutional autonomy in 1997, opened academic operations in Santiago in 1999, and subsequently expanded into health education, postgraduate study, and research. The institution remains an operating private university rather than a campus or department of another organization. UDD currently has two main locations, Santiago and Concepción. Its official institutional page describes six campuses used for undergraduate and postgraduate education, together with two clinics, libraries, laboratories, and workshops. The Santiago operation includes the Rector Ernesto Silva Bafalluy campus, Plaza de la Investigación, the UDD Santiago Clinic, and teaching facilities at Hospital Padre Hurtado. Facilities in Concepción include the Ainavillo and Pedro de Valdivia campuses and the Ernesto Silva B. Clinic. Institutional accreditation is reported at the excellence level for six years, through December 2027. The accredited areas encompass institutional management, undergraduate teaching, postgraduate teaching, engagement with society, and research. This breadth matters for students considering progression from an initial degree into advanced study or research at the same university. The university reported 4,469 new undergraduate entrants in 2026 and 1,515 postgraduate students in 2025. These figures describe different reporting years and should not be combined as a single current enrollment total. Prospective students should also treat UDD as a two-location institution: a program available in Santiago may not be offered in Concepción, and vice versa.

For 2027 undergraduate entry, UDD participates in Chile's centralized Higher Education Access System. Regular applicants need valid PAES results and must apply through the national university application process. The university lists secondary-school grades, the national school-ranking measure, compulsory Reading Competence and Mathematics 1 tests, and an elective Science or History and Social Sciences test among the selection components. Mathematics 2 is compulsory only for specified engineering programs. Applicants must also provide a secondary-school completion credential and identification document or passport. Selection depends on each program's weighted score, places, and published requirements; a single university-wide cutoff should not be inferred. The definitive 2027 program offer, vacancies, and weightings were scheduled for publication on 24 September 2026. As of the profile date, applicants should therefore recheck the final tables before submitting preferences. The published centralized timetable places regular PAES testing from 30 November through 2 December 2026, results and the start of applications on 4 January 2027, and the application deadline on 7 January. Selection results are scheduled for 18 January, followed by two enrollment stages from 19 to 28 January 2027. UDD also advertises direct-admission routes. Eligibility and documentation vary by route and should not be treated as substitutes for centralized admission unless the applicant meets the stated criteria. International applicants should contact admissions about recognition of foreign secondary credentials, immigration documentation, Spanish proficiency, and whether they should use centralized or direct admission; no universal English-test threshold was verified.

UDD organizes its teaching through faculties covering architecture and art, health sciences, communications, law, design, economics and business, education, government, engineering, medicine, and psychology. The current undergraduate catalogue includes professional programs and preparatory bachillerato options, but availability varies by location. Applicants should use the official program finder to confirm the campus, curriculum, duration, degree awarded, and any program-specific selection requirements. At postgraduate level, UDD offers master's programs, professional post-titles, medical and dental specialties, diplomas, continuing education, and doctoral study. Its verified doctoral portfolio includes fields such as social complexity, business economics, developmental science and psychopathology, medical science and innovation, and law. These examples indicate an interdisciplinary research base, but applicants should consult the individual doctoral page for current cohorts, supervision, funding, and admission conditions. Research is an accredited institutional area, and the Santiago infrastructure includes a dedicated research complex. Health-related education also draws on university clinics and teaching modules at Hospital Padre Hurtado. These facilities may provide an applied setting for relevant programs, although access and placement arrangements depend on the particular curriculum. Spanish is the database-recorded language of instruction and should be treated as the default. UDD also advertises international and globally oriented opportunities, but students should not assume that an entire degree is taught in English from the presence of English-titled activities or courses. They should verify teaching language, assessment language, and any professional-recognition implications at program level.

Key Highlights

• Private Chilean university operating since 1990
• Institutionally accredited through December 2027
• Main locations in Santiago and Concepción
• Undergraduate, postgraduate, and research activity verified

Student Life & Environment

Student experience at UDD is distributed across Santiago and Concepción rather than concentrated in one residential campus. The university's facilities include libraries, study rooms, laboratories, workshops, sports spaces, food services, and student-support offices. At the Rector Ernesto Silva Bafalluy campus in Santiago, the official campus information identifies a library, group and individual study areas, a gym, football fields, laboratories, workshops, auditoriums, dining facilities, and student-services offices. The Vida y Carrera platform brings together career preparation, entrepreneurship, international engagement, peer support, and campus activities. Examples include a labor-market portal, the Diseña tu Futuro career-planning initiative, student entrepreneurship support, and Global Ambassadors who help visiting exchange students. UDD also reports exchange relationships with institutions in 40 countries, although participation is subject to program rules, selection, language preparation, and cost. The university reports substantial participation in volunteering and community initiatives through 2025. Students interested in these opportunities should check the current campus calendar because activities and availability can change between terms. No current official university-managed housing or comprehensive housing-cost page was verified. Students relocating to Santiago or Concepción should therefore budget independently for accommodation, transport, food, and other living expenses and ask the university whether it provides referral or arrival support.

Location & Surroundings

The database record identifies Santiago, where UDD's principal address is Avenida Plaza 680 in Las Condes. The Rector Ernesto Silva Bafalluy campus serves undergraduate and postgraduate students and brings together academic faculties, study areas, laboratories, workshops, sports facilities, and student services. Santiago also contains Plaza de la Investigación, the UDD Santiago Clinic, and teaching modules at Hospital Padre Hurtado, so some academic activity may occur away from the main Las Condes address. UDD originated in Concepción and continues to maintain a substantial presence there. Its official locations include the Ainavillo campus at Ainavillo 456, the Pedro de Valdivia campus, and the Ernesto Silva B. Clinic. Students should therefore confirm the actual teaching site for their chosen program rather than relying only on the university's main contact address. The two-city structure offers access to distinct urban and professional environments but also makes campus choice consequential. Commuting patterns, clinical placements, living costs, and the available program portfolio can differ between Santiago and Concepción. No verified residential-campus arrangement was found, so applicants should research private housing and local transport for the specific site they will attend.

Costs & Career Outcomes

UDD publishes undergraduate tuition by program and campus rather than one institution-wide price. The 2026 schedule is denominated in Unidad de Fomento, Chile's inflation-indexed unit, and lists a separate enrollment fee and annual tuition. Santiago examples range from an enrollment fee of 25 UF for many programs to 40 UF for Medicine and Dentistry, while annual tuition differs materially by subject. Because the UF's peso value changes, students should use the applicable conversion on the payment date and verify the exact program entry before budgeting. The 2026 payment information allows annual tuition to be paid by debit card, credit card, or ten installments due from March through December. A two-percent full-payment discount was available only through 31 March 2026 and should not be assumed for later intakes. Applicants should also budget for housing, transport, food, materials, insurance, and any program-specific costs; no authoritative university housing price was found. UDD offers institutional scholarships and points students toward eligible Ministry of Education benefits. The published Santiago scholarship conditions reviewed here apply specifically to new students entering in the second semester of 2026. Awards are subject to eligibility, validation at enrollment, program and campus restrictions, and annual renewal rules, so they should not be carried forward as confirmed 2027 terms. For career development, students can access UDD's employment portal and Vida y Carrera activities covering job searching, internships, entrepreneurship, networking, and career planning. The university reports that nine in ten surveyed or tracked professionals work in an area related to their profession, but it does not provide a program-level salary outcome on the cited page. Applicants should seek field-specific employment evidence before estimating return on investment.