It began operations in the 1993–94 academic year as an affiliate of the Complutense University of Madrid, and was granted full accreditation as a private university several years later. It is currently part of an international university system that includes higher education institutions in the United States, Mexico, Europe, and South America.
Francisco de Vitoria University is a private institution of higher education and research that operates as a private educational foundation, a nonprofit organization registered in the Registry of Foundations under number 219.
The Francisco de Vitoria University Foundation (antes denominada Fundación FIDES) provides public higher education services, offering a comprehensive educational model to its students, as established in its Recognition Act (Ley 7/2001, de 3 de julio, de la Comunidad de Madrid) and its bylaws (Normas de Organización y Funcionamiento aprobadas mediante Decreto 11/2014 de 25 de septiembre (Boletín Oficial de la Comunidad de Madrid de 29 de septiembre de 2014).


