UPC History

The university is a church-related institution without sectarian emphasis. Despite its name, UPC is open to students of all faiths. It receives, nonetheless, strong support from the Church of Christ of Congo.

UPC was founded in 1959, one year before Congo’s independence, as a theological seminary in Lubumbashi. Five protestant denominations, American Baptist, British Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian USA, and United Methodist, provided missionaries as its first teachers and staff. Over the years, other denominations also have supported the university.

UPC’s history includes several names and locations until it opened its own campus in 1963. In 1971 Congolese universities were nationalized, with theological schools being separated from the other disciplines. Under pressure from foreign governments, the Mobutu Government eventually withdrew control and the present UPC emerged with its campus in Kinshasa, the Capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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