[1] Many recent Guatemalan presidents have studied at the university, including Ramiro de León Carpio, Álvaro Arzú, and Óscar Berger.

[2] Campus Quetzaltenango is in the southwest of the country, 200 km from the capital city, in a large valley surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, 2,334 meters above sea level.

In 1997 construction began on the present campus on the grounds of the Craft Education Center, with financial assistance from Spain – Basques, the University of Deusto, and the ALBOAN foundation.

In 2005, with funding from KfW German development bank, new classroom buildings and administrative and academic offices were built, along with creation of the Liceo Javier College of La Verapaz.

It was selected for scholarships by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (2003-2007) and KfW Bankengruppe Foundation in a grant-credit project mainly aimed at students of Mayan descent, fostering regional development and teacher training.