The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) (English: Autonomous University of Santo Domingo) is a public university system in Dominican Republic, with its flagship campus in Ciudad Universitaria (lit.

It was founded by Jose Gabriel Garcia and Emiliano Tejera in 1866 as the Professional Institute, replacing the former Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, one of the first universities of the Western Hemisphere (Americas), which was founded unofficially by a Papal bull in 1538, officially by royal decree in 1558, and closed in 1822.

It was initially organised in four faculties, following the pattern of medieval European universities: Theology, Law, Medicine and Arts.

[1] In 1801, the university was suspended due to the Haitian occupation; it reopened in 1815 after Spanish colonial rule was restored under the rectorship of Dr José Núñez de Cáceres.

In 1821, poet, philosopher, and political activist Andrés López de Medrano was appointed rector, bringing his progressive ideals to the institution.

After the Dominican Republic was established in 1844, an attempt to reopen the university was made by President Pedro Santana in 1859, but this was unsuccessful.

[1] In 1866 the Instituto Profesional (Professional Institute) was created by Jose Gabriel Garcia and Emiliano Tejera in Santo Domingo, providing higher education in the city.