These courses were designed for foreigners who, since 1926, had been receiving instruction at the Menéndez Pelayo Society; and for postgraduates of the Medical Institute whose classes had formerly been located at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital.

These activities were interrupted by the Spanish Civil War and were not resumed until 1945, following the approval of an order that created the Menéndez Pelayo International University with headquarters in the Hospital of San Rafael in Santander.

Its stated objective is to satisfy two requirements that are equally desirable and indispensable to the formation of modern culture: attention to the universal human needs that must present themselves to every sensitive mind; and the skill to clarify carefully defined technical problems in a way that represents a positive advance in each discipline.

Every year, the University has expanded it courses to reflect new developments in the social sciences and humanities, as well as technology, and has extended its cultural activities to include music, theater, poetry and the cinema.

In 2008, UIMP developed agreements with other institutions (such as the Regional Department of Immigration of the Generalitat Valenciana and the EOI Business School) to collaborate in the creation of a master's degree in the "Organization and Management of Industrial Technology".