The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, UASD) is the Dominican Republic’s public university. It dates its founding to a papal bull of 28 October 1538.[1] Its own 2025 annual report counts 160,061 undergraduate and higher-technical students in the first semester of 2025 and 165,404 in the second, more than half of them at the Santo Domingo campus.[2]
Fees depend on a payment category. The university’s category list shows US$900 enrolment plus US$50 per credit for most foreign students, with lower rates for some groups.[3] UASD is in the QS Latin America & Caribbean 2027 ranking in the 351–400 band; a QS World University Rankings 2027 place could not be confirmed.[4]
Key facts
| Official name | Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)[1] |
| Location | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (main campus “Alma Máter”)[5] |
| Type | Public university[6] |
| Founded | 28 October 1538 (papal bull of Paul III); the Dominicans ran a General Study there from 1518[1] |
| Autonomy | Granted by Law No. 5778 of 31 December 1961[1] |
| Students 2025 | 160,061 (2025-10) and 165,404 (2025-20) in undergraduate and higher-technical programmes[2] |
| New students 2025 | 28,699 (14,414 in 2025-10 and 14,285 in 2025-20)[2] |
| Faculties | Nine: Humanities, Science, Economic and Social Sciences, Legal and Political Sciences, Engineering and Architecture, Health Sciences, Agronomic and Veterinary Sciences, Arts, Education Sciences[5] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | Not confirmed[7] |
| QS Latin America & Caribbean 2027 | 351–400 band[4] |
| Fees, most foreign students | US$900 enrolment + US$50 per credit (category 52; no academic year stated)[3] |
| Application fee (undergraduate) | RD$360 (basic cycle) · RD$560 (pre-medicine)[5] |
| Official website | uasd.edu.do |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.
About the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo
UASD says it was created by the bull In Apostolatus Culmine, issued by Pope Paul III on 28 October 1538, which raised to university rank the General Study that the Dominicans had run in Santo Domingo since 1518.[1] Its history was not continuous: it stopped teaching in 1801, reopened in 1815 and closed again in 1822.[1] A decree of 31 December 1866 created the Instituto Profesional in its place, and on 16 November 1914 a decree turned that institute into the University of Santo Domingo.[1] Law No. 5778 of 31 December 1961 gave the university its autonomy.[1]
Today the university teaches at a main campus in Santo Domingo and at regional campuses and centres. The admissions page lists regional campuses in Barahona, San Francisco de Macorís, Santiago and San Juan, plus centres in towns such as Azua, Baní, Bonao, Higüey, La Vega and La Romana.[5] According to the 2025 annual report, 53.46% of students enrolled in the first semester of 2025 were at the Santo Domingo campus, and 71.22% of students were female.[2]
How is UASD ranked?
In the QS Latin America & Caribbean Rankings 2027, published on 1 October 2026, UASD is listed in the 351–400 band among 517 ranked institutions.[4] The aggregator that publishes the table shows no exact position for institutions in this band.[4]
A place in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026) could not be confirmed. Dominican press reports that only two Dominican universities were evaluated in the world ranking;[7] we found no source that lists UASD there. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one band as one view. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at UASD?
Undergraduate studies are grouped in nine faculties:[5]
- Humanities
- Science
- Economic and Social Sciences
- Legal and Political Sciences
- Engineering and Architecture
- Health Sciences
- Agronomic and Veterinary Sciences
- Arts
- Education Sciences
Postgraduate studies (doctorates, master’s programmes, specialities and diplomas) are listed on the separate postgraduate portal.[5] The 2025 annual report counts students in undergraduate and higher-technical programmes; it does not give a separate figure for postgraduate enrolment in the pages we read.[2]
Some programmes have their own entry requirements: Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Informatics, Psychology, Education and the programmes of the Faculty of Arts.[5] Applicants who choose Medicine or Dentistry enter through a pre-medical option; all other programmes start in a basic cycle.[5]
How much does UASD cost for international students?
UASD charges an enrolment fee and a fee per credit, and both depend on a payment category. The university’s own list of categories gives these rates for foreign students and related groups:[3]
| Category | Who it covers (as listed) | Enrolment | Per credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | All foreign students except Venezuelans and Haitians | US$900 | US$50 |
| 21 | Students of Haitian nationality | US$600 | US$25 |
| 28 | Students of Haitian nationality who, after the basic cycle, study in Health Sciences (except Medicine and Dentistry), Science (except Informatics), Education Sciences or Agronomy and Veterinary | US$300 | US$6 |
| 54 | Foreign students with Dominican parents | RD$500 | RD$100 |
| 65 | Venezuela agreement; foreigners with studies in the Dominican Republic who are children of legal residents; naturalised foreigners; foreigners with special conditions; Dominicans with studies abroad | RD$2,000 | RD$100 |
The list gives no academic year and does not say how often the enrolment fee is charged; the file was created on 2 October 2026 according to its metadata. Dominican students without a national student record (RNE) who attended public schools are in category 50: RD$200 enrolment and RD$0 per credit.[3] (RD$ is the Dominican peso.)
Before enrolling, applicants pay an application fee of RD$360 for the basic cycle or RD$560 for pre-medicine.[5] The pages we read do not state how many credits a semester contains, so we do not give a yearly total. Confirm your category and the current amounts with the admissions office (tel. (809) 535-8273, ext. 8213–8215).[3]
How do you apply to UASD?
The admissions page describes six steps:[5]
- Create an admission application online (you enter your national student record, RNE, which is generated by the national exams).
- Preselect a programme at the campus where you will study.
- Pay the application fee.
- Hand in your documents in paper form.
- Take the diagnostic tests required under Law 139-01.
- Confirm your admission and select courses.
Students without an RNE, which includes foreigners who studied abroad, must go to the admissions office of the campus they prefer to learn how their admission works.[5]
Documents for foreigners who finished secondary school abroad
The university lists: two passport-style photos; an apostilled original birth certificate; the original validation (homologation) certificate for secondary studies issued by the Dominican education ministry; an apostilled original transcript; a copy of the passport; a copy of the visa or regularisation card; an original medical certificate issued by a doctor in the Dominican Republic and less than three months old; a commitment letter (pre-medicine only); and a manila envelope.[8] Documents in another language need a translation by a Dominican court interpreter, legalised by the Attorney General’s office.[8] This list is dated March 2023, so ask the admissions office for the current version.
We give no deadlines here because they change every year. The university publishes an academic calendar and the admission calendar for each period.[5]
Do you need Spanish to study at UASD?
The admission pages are in Spanish, and foreign documents in other languages must be translated into Spanish.[8] The pages we read do not name a language of instruction, a required Spanish level or accepted language certificates, so ask the admissions office before you apply.
All applicants take diagnostic tests; the admissions page names a general knowledge test and the POMA (academic orientation and measurement test), and a separate test for Education applicants.[5]
Frequently Asked Questions
Is UASD free?
No. UASD is a public university, but it charges an enrolment fee and a fee per credit. Dominican students without an RNE who attended public schools pay RD$200 enrolment and RD$0 per credit; most foreign students pay US$900 enrolment and US$50 per credit.[3]
How much do international students pay at UASD?
It depends on the payment category: US$900 enrolment plus US$50 per credit for most foreign students (category 52), US$600 plus US$25 for students of Haitian nationality (category 21), and lower rates for some other groups.[3] The list states no academic year.
Does UASD teach in English?
The pages we read do not say. The admission procedure is in Spanish and foreign documents must be translated into Spanish.[8]
What documents do foreign applicants need?
Photos, an apostilled birth certificate, the Dominican validation certificate for secondary studies, an apostilled transcript, a passport copy, a visa or regularisation card copy and a medical certificate from a Dominican doctor.[8]
How is UASD ranked?
It is in the 351–400 band of the QS Latin America & Caribbean Rankings 2027.[4] A QS World University Rankings 2027 place could not be confirmed.
How many students does UASD have?
The 2025 annual report counts 160,061 undergraduate and higher-technical students in 2025-10 and 165,404 in 2025-20.[2]
More about studying in Dominican Republic
- Dominican Republic: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Dominican Republic
- Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC)
- Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)
Sources
[1] UASD: Reseña histórica de la UASD (page updated 18 Oct 2022)
[2] UASD: Memoria Institucional 2025 (annual report for 2025, uploaded Jan 2026)
[3] UASD, Oficina General de Admisiones: Categorías de pago para estudiantes (PDF created 2 Oct 2026 per file metadata; no academic year stated)
[4] xuanxiao.org: QS Latin America & The Caribbean Rankings 2027 (QS publishes the ranking at topuniversities.com, which blocks automated access) (ranking published 1 Oct 2026; UASD in the 351–400 band)
[5] UASD: Admisiones de Grado (page updated 27 Oct 2026)
[6] Wikipedia: Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (institution type)
[7] elDinero: PUCMM es reconocida como la universidad número uno de RD en ranking QS 2027 (article of 18 Jun 2026; QS World University Rankings 2027)
[8] UASD, Oficina General de Admisiones: Documentos para la admisión de extranjeros que hicieron el bachillerato en el extranjero (PDF dated 9 Mar 2023)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.