It was founded on 11 February 1992 and is operated by the Fomento Educativo y Cultural Francisco de Ibarra, A.C.[2] The university serves some 16,000 students on its own at high school, undergraduate and postgraduate level and offers distance learning.

[3][1] The university also offers bilingual (English and Spanish) education from kindergarten to high school with Colegio de Inglés.

The following are the undergraduate and graduate degrees taught by the university in its different campuses.

The educational courses offered varies in each campus:[5] UAD operates the Lobos FM radio network, with stations at Durango, Gómez Palacio, Mazatlán, Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Zacatecas and Culiacán.

In addition, UAD operates a television station in Durango, XHUAD-TDT channel 4.