In 1994 the University Center of Los Altos (CUAltos) was founded with the purpose of extending the university services to the 03 Region Altos Sur, which currently has 399,724 inhabitants (INEGI, Population and Housing Count of 2015). Although, the zone is characterized by its agricultural activities, in recent years, it has seen an increase in the presence of agroindustries in its urban centers.

The headquarters of this University Center is located in Tepatitlán de Morelos.

Its mission is to meet the demand for educational services in the following municipalities of the State of Jalisco: Acatic, Arandas, Cañadas de Obregon, Jalostotitlan, Jesus Maria, Mexticacán, San Julián, San Miguel el Alto, San Ignacio Cerro Gordo, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Valle de Guadalupe and Yahualica de González Gallo.

The Center is composed of three divisions: Social Sciences and Culture; Biomedical sciences and agricultural sciences and engineering, which are organized into six departments: Legal, Social and Cultural Studies; Organizational Studies; Health Sciences; Clinics; Cattle and Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, respectively.

CUAltos offers 19 Educational Programs; 13 of Degree, three Specialties, two Masters and one Doctorate. According to the 2017 B calendar, the enrollment is 4,005 students, of which 3,910 correspond to the Bachelor's level; 33 a Specialty; 51 to Masters and 11 to Doctorate. This enrollment is attended by 406 teachers, 113 full time, two part time, 241 subject and 50 are academic technicians.

Of this template, 23 belong to the National System of Researchers (SNI), 67 have the support of the Program for Professional Development for Higher Education (PRODEP) and 80 are benefited by the Program for Teacher Performance Stimuli (PROESDE).

In terms of research, CUAltos has 12 Academic Bodies (AB), one in consolidated status; six AB in training and five AB in consolidation.
In support of academic activities, the Center has a library with 32,179 titles and 76,823 volumes. In addition, it has 736 computers, of which 372 are for student service, 256 for administrative staff and 108 for academic staff.