The university was created in 1967, when the Faculty of Philosophy (Braga) became the first faculty of UCP. The headquarters opened in Lisbon in 1968.
The university was officially recognised by the state in 1971.
For further information, see History
UCP consists of 17 faculties, schools and institutes, which are the basic education and research units. They are located in 4 main centres: Lisboa (headquarters), Porto, Braga and Viseu.