Abstract

The three first universities in Argentinian territory were founded in different centuries and due to distinct social and political conditions. The first, in Córdoba, was initially a XVIIth century Catholic scholastic university; the second was founded in 1821 in Buenos Aires after independence from Spain as a secular state university following the French professional model; the third, in La Plata, intended to be a XXth century research university. 1918 University Reform ended with scholastic and aristocratic remains, but cultural and scientific modernization was limited by the economic national and international conditions. Social demand boosted classic professional careers and all over the country student numbers grew mainly in law and medicine. During first half of XXth century differences between the three university models almost disappeared.