In Uruguay—according to article 4 of Executive Decree 104/014—there are two types of higher education institutions:[1] During most of Uruguay's history, the University of the Republic predominated as the only university, whose founding process began in 1833 with the bill of the priest Damaso Antonio Larrañaga, the Oribe's decree of May 27, 1838 and the decree of 1849 that founded the UdelaR.
[2] In the same century, through executive decree of January 26, 1876, the Liceo de Estudios Universitarios was authorized with legal effects as university courses, thereby becoming in 1878 the Universidad Libre, later named Universidad Católica.
This institution was closed in 1886 due to financial problems and legal issues.
At the end of the Civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay in 1984, the Executive branch passed Decree 343/984 in which the operation of the Catholic University of Uruguay was authorized (being this its refounding), and here began a shift "from a one-university system to a system of universities", in which coexist both public and private universities.
[6] In 1995, proceedings by which institutions can access the official recognition were established, through Executive Decree 308/995.