The University of Puerto Rico in Ponce was inaugurated on August 23, 1970, in accordance with Law 75 of June 19, 1961. Its initial faculty was 24 professors and 361 students, from the different municipalities of the Southern Region of Puerto Rico.
They enrolled in technical courses in Accounting, Computer Science, Architectural Delineation, Commercial Management, Industrial Management, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Civil Engineering Technology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and in the programs corresponding to the first years of Baccalaureate in Arts or Sciences.