The University of Cauca is a public research university located in the city of Popayán, capital of the department of Cauca, Colombia. It was created on April 24, 1827, by a decree by the President Francisco de Paula Santander. It was installed on November 11, 1827 and the nationalization was ratified by Law 65 of 1964. It currently has 43 undergraduate programs and 48 postgraduate programs which include 29 specializations, 14 Masters and 5 PhDs.

Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in the Pubenza Valley in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. The municipality has a population of 318,059, an area of 483 km2, is located 1760 meters above sea level, and has an average temperature of 18 °C.