As the location of the first university founded in the land that is now Argentina, Córdoba has earned the nickname La Docta (roughly translated, "The Wise").

This milestone would be soon reached; on August 8, 1621 Pope Gregory XV granted this authority by an official document, which arrived in the city in April 1622.

With this authorization, and with the approval of the church hierarchy and the provincial head of the Jesuits, Pedro de Oñate, the university began its official existence.

The first secondary school in Cordoba was Our Lady of Monserrat, founded by a Jesuit priest, Father Ignacio Duarte y Quirós, in 1687 and incorporated into the university's aegis in 1907.

With this new name the university acquired the double title of Royal and Pontifical, and Monsignor Gregorio Funes was appointed president.

On May 25, 1810, the May Revolution began, and the new regime took control of the University of Córdoba, although Monsignor Funes remained in his post.

Students, inspired by the ideas of autonomy, co-governance and democratization of education, led a movement that spread throughout Latin America.

This academic revolution had a lasting impact on higher education and laid the groundwork for a more inclusive and participatory approach to university decision-making.

In 1926, it changed its name to Language Institute, which depended on the Rector's Office of the University, and the academic offer was expanded with professorships and translation programs in German, French, English and Italian.

The university also owns other campuses, notably, an experimental agricultural station located 20 km southeast of Córdoba city, and an astronomic observatory, among others.