The University of Santiago de Compostela was established as a "Grammatic Academy " as early as 1495 by Don Lope Gómez de Marzoa.
The second half of this century has brought great quantitative and qualitative changes to this 500 year old university, with a vast increase in the number of students, along with an essential expansion of schools and degrees offered. This dynamic transformation is being accompanied by a territorial decentralisation that has resulted in the creation of two new universities, one in the city of A Coruña and the other in Vigo. Both continue to have a special relationship with their mother institution, the University of Santiago de Compostela.
Nowadays, the University of Santiago is organised into two campuses: one is located in Compostela and the other in Lugo (the two thousand-year-old town named "Lucus Augusta" after Augustus, the Roman emperor). Both campuses complement each other, aiming to construct a unity despite the different specializations each of them offers.
The University of Santiago is a Public Entity committed to serve as an institution of higher learning. The legal framework of this public institution has its autonomy guaranteed under the 27th article of the Spanish Constitution. This autonomy encompasses the power of self-organisation, and includes the university elaborating and approving statutes which make up the basic structure of its regulations and functions.

Modern Languages Centre (Santiago)
The Modern Languages Centre of the University of Santiago is a university service that is dedicated to the teaching of modern languages. It offers courses in: German, Danish, French, English and Russian as well as a course entitled "Spanish Language and Culture for Foreign Students" offered during the academic year (October-June) and intensive summer courses (July and September). The courses have an active communicative focus.
The Modern Languages Centre of the University of Santiago is officially associated with the Cervantes Institute and offers official examinations for "Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language", through the Ministry of Education.

Modern Languages Centre (Lugo)
The Modern Languages Centre of the University of Santiago organizes at the Lugo Campus courses of different languages aimed at the students achievement of written and oral communicative competence.
The courses are mainly addressed to university members, but the only requirement for registration is to be 16 or over, and to be interested in learning the following languages: German, French and English.