UPR-Arecibo was previously the Colegio Regional de Arecibo (CRA, 'Arecibo Regional College') and Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Arecibo (CUTA, 'Arecibo Technological University College').

The college is located in the north of the island, next to the largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology complex in the Caribbean, agricultural areas of intense commercial activity and near the site of the Arecibo Observatory.

The campus was founded in 1967 and after thirteen years became known as Colegio Universitario Tecnológico de Arecibo (CUTA).

[3] In 2017 in response to budget cuts to the university system by the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico the campus students voted to join the University of Puerto Rico strikes, 2017.

Unique programs on this campus of the University of Puerto Rico include: UPRA is the alma mater of many communications professionals currently working in local and international media and independent producers who graduated from the Bachelor of Communication program ("Tele-Radial").