This institution of higher education was created on May 17, 1962, at the request of the pro-Catholic university board presided over by Mons. César Antonio Mosquera Corral, archbishop of Guayaquil, the jurist Dr. Leonidas Ortega Moreira and Fr. Joaquín Flor Vásconez SJ , who were its founding authorities, as Grand Chancellor, first rector and counselor, respectively. The Constitutional President of the Republic, Dr. Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy, through the corresponding Executive Agreement # 936, approved the statute, and the Ministry of Public Education authorized its operation by Resolution # 1158.

At that time, among other personalities, Dr. Santiago Castillo Barredo, Mr. Francisco Amador Ycaza, Mons. Antonio Bermeo, Bishop Rogerio Beauger, acted in the Governing Body; Jorge Mesía SJ, as Secretary of the Governing Body and Dr. Fausto Idrovo Arcentales, Secretary General. Dr. Héctor Romero Menéndez (1962-66), Fr. José Joaquín Flor (1862-65) and Eng. Raúl Maruri Díaz (1862-63) were the founding deans of Jurisprudence, Philosophy and Engineering.

On June 6, 1963, that is to say, 19 days after the Executive Agreement was issued, the first academic period of classes began with the following Faculties: Jurisprudence, Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, Literature and Education Sciences and Physical Sciences and Mathematics (Schools of Civil Engineering and Architecture). The courses were dictated in the building of the night school "April 20", of the Jesuit parents, located in the corner of Eloy Alfaro 1955 and Manabí, of this city, where it worked until 1966 in which the main building was inaugurated in the university campus, located at Km. 1.5 of Avenida Carlos Julio Arosemena Tola.

In 1963 the School of Economics was created, attached to the Faculty of Jurisprudence. Subsequently, the Governing Body, in session of March 18, 1965, approved the creation of the Faculty of Economics.

In 1965 the Faculty of Architecture was created (before it had functioned as a School attached to the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences). In 1967-68 the Institute of Technical Education for Development was created (School since 26-IX-77), with the Schools of Zootechnics and Electricity and Telecommunications, and the Faculty of Medicine. In 1969, the School of Social Work was incorporated (it was operated by the Rotary Club of Guayaquil in 1960. In 1970, the Institute of Applied Arts (now Interior Design) was authorized to operate and in 1973 it joined the Faculty of Medical Sciences, the School of Nursing "San Vicente de Paúl" (which had been created in 1974 by the Community of the Daughters of Charity and had been operating in Quito).

In 1985 the School of Engineering in Computer Systems was created in the Faculty of Engineering and, in the same year, the operation of the Board of Law School, in Jurisprudence was authorized.

The Graduate School of the Faculty of Medical Sciences was established in October 1986.

According to the current statute approved in 2001, the Carreras replace the denomination of Schools.

Greater historical data of the cloister can be found in the Memoirs published in May 2002, on the occasion of the institutional XL anniversary.

The Faculty of Business Specialties was created in June 2003 to respond to the business demand for the training of professionals with new profiles, specific characteristics and skills for making innovative decisions.

In 2005, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities was founded, which achieved the ISO 9001-2008 Certification that endorses the standards of quality and permanent improvement.