History of the University
Inter American University of Puerto Rico is a private institution with a Christian heritage and an ecumenical tradition. It is a non-profit organization that provides college instruction to persons of both sexes. It was originally founded in 1912 as the Polytechnic Institute of Puerto Rico by the Reverend J. William Harris and offered elementary and secondary education on the land occupied today by the San Germán Campus. The first college level courses were started in 1921 and in 1927, the first group of students graduated with Bachelor’s Degrees. In 1944, the Institution was accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. It was the first four-year liberal arts college to be so accredited outside the continental limits of the United States. This accreditation has been maintained since then.
The school is approved by the Puerto Rico State Approving Agency to provide academic training to the students under the various GI Bill® programs. "GI Bill®” is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The programs of the University are authorized by the Board of Postsecondary Institutions of Puerto Rico (JIP) and by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, which certifies teachers for the public school system of Puerto Rico. Inter American University’s School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association and the School of Optometry, inaugurated in 1981, by the Council on Optometric Education. In March 1982, the first doctoral program was initiated.
Inter American University is the largest private university in Puerto Rico. Enrollment, in recent years, has been maintained at approximately 43,000 students. At the present time, about 21 percent of all the Island’s college students and 35 percent of the students who go to the Island’s private colleges attend Inter American University.
Inter American University’s tradition of public service, the geographical location of its instructional units and its continuing attention to student needs make it especially attractive and accessible to students from all the municipalities of Puerto Rico. The increasing availability of both Federal and Commonwealth funds for student financial aid has enabled many students, who otherwise would not have been able to do so, to get a college education.