The National University of Córdoba is the oldest in Argentina, and the fourth oldest in all of South America. Founded by the Jesuits in 1613, it became a public institution in the 19th century. Its academic structure includes 12 schools, 98 research institutes, 20 libraries, 14 museums, two astronomical observatories and two middle-level colleges. It has 8,203 teaching positions and its student population is made up of over 104 thousand students studying any of the 90 degrees offered by the institution.

The university's old colonial building complex is located downtown, and is part of the Jesuit Block, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, giving students the opportunity to study in one of the most historically and culturally rich universities in all of Latin America.