The main one, known as University City of Melendez (Spanish: Ciudad Universitaria Meléndez, CUM), is located in the southern neighborhood of Melendez and hosts the faculties of Engineering, Humanities, Integrated Arts, Sciences, and Social Sciences and Economics, as well as the institutes of Education and Pedagogy, and Psychology.

The university offers education at technological, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with 258 academic programs, which includes 65 master and medical specialties, and 8 doctorates.

[10] Since the late 19th century the idea of creating a university in Cali had been an ambition of the people of the city and of the Valle del Cauca Department, and was continuously discussed and mentioned in the local newspapers.

In the 1940s, the necessity for qualified professionals that could supply the demand of the new industrial sector of Valle del Cauca made it clear that an institution focusing on scientific and technological education was of strategic importance to the development of the region.

[14] The university began its work in 1945 in a small house located in downtown Cali, with faculties of Agronomy, Business, and Nursing.

At this early stage, the university faced its first financial crisis, a situation that was preceded by the destitution of the rector Ramírez in 1949 by political reasons,[16] and caused by the diminishing support of the local government.

[19] In 1957, the university began its technical and further education programs with the establishment of the schools of Medical Laboratory Technicians and Engineering Auxiliaries in Topography and Roads.

At the time, five divisions were established with the reorganization: Architecture, Economy, Engineering, Health, and Sciences; and two more were created: Education and Humanities.

[22] At this time, the first serious student revolts started to emerge, motivated by the local and global changes of the decade, like the Vietnam war, the European student movement, the presence of the Peace Corps in Latin-America and specially in Colombia, the rejection of the IDB loan and the presence of the foreign foundations.

In 1977, in order to avoid the desertion of several faculty members, it was established the professorship career system based in academic, investigative, and administrative merits.

The same year, the first agreements for the development of joint research projects were signed with the Ministry of National Education, COLCIENCIAS, the UNESCO, and the OAS, among others.

[28] The landscape of the campus, designed by architects Lyda Caldas and Harold Borrero, imitates the savanna environment of the Cauca River valley.

The eastern part, which is adjacent to the hospital, contains the School of Nursing, the San Fernando University Sport Center, and the administrative buildings.

The project is to be completed in three stages, and was designed by an interdisciplinary team led by the Research Center in Territory, Construction and Space, and the School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics of the university.

The new building has a library, five laboratories for chemistry, biology, electronics, physics, and food analysis; an auditorium for 150 spectators, and 27 class rooms with Internet access.

[35] The university's highest government body is the University Council which is formed of eleven members: the governor of Valle del Cauca, the rector, the general secretary, and representatives for the President of the Republic, the Ministry of Education, deans, professors, alumni, students, former rectors, and the productive sector.

The research centers or institutes affiliated to the academic divisions are independent organizations at the same level as the schools, departments, or areas.

The test, carried out by the ICFES, evaluates the general and specific competencies of final year students from 27 undergraduate subjects.

The Farallones Local Area Network allows the access of more than 4,200 computers to a 10 Mbit/s dedicated Internet link provided by the High Speed University Network (Spanish: Red Universitaria de Alta Velocidad, RUAV),[53] which provides the member universities with the infrastructure for advanced services such as access to digital libraries, telemedicine, telepresence and Videoconferencing, as well as educational resources including virtual campuses and laboratories.

It offers the undergraduate programs of Bachelor of Business Administration, Accountancy, Commerce, and an Associate degree in Technology of Executive Management.

[40] In 2007 276 research projects were carried out, with an investment totaling $8.84 billion COP provided by fifteen national and international entities.

The university would become an important member of this organization, whose first significant action would take place in May of the same year that ended the dictatorship of General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla.

This influence intensified in the 1960s, during the government of Carlos Lleras Restrepo, who initiated a repressive and military approach to the university conflicts.

On April 4, 2001, during a confrontation between masked individuals and the Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron (Spanish: Escuadrón Móvil Antidisturbios, ESMAD), police patrolmen John Arce was killed by an explosive.

[91] On September 22, 2005, during a protest against the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Colombia, the chemistry student Jhonny Silva Aranguren was killed, according to some witnesses, by the police force.

[97] On October 4, 2006, a student of Technology of Prehospital Attention and representative at the Academic Council, Julian Andrés Hurtado, was killed by hitmen.

The university has 53 student groups and organizations, involved in research, academic, ecological, social history, and sports activities.

In over 60 years of history, the university has held among its students, faculty, and staff, many notable people, including politicians, scientists, and artists.

The former Ministry of the Interior and Justice and ambassador of Colombia in Italy, Sabas Pretelt de la Vega, attended the university as well.

The film directors Antonio Dorado and Carlos Moreno, both alumni of the university, are part of the new generation of Colombian filmmakers.