This University has as its antecedent the "Jagua University Center", founded in 1956 under the José Martí Masonic University auspices, and which was closed by the revolutionary government on December 1961.

Its appearance solves some problems for students in the central area of ​​the island, who previously had to study at other Cuban or foreign universities.

In 1998 University received the name "Carlos Rafael Rodríguez", a central Cuban revolutionary government personality of the second half of the 20th century.

As higher education universalization part, as of 2003, eight university campuses were created, one in each township, in which new different studies profiles were opened, with an emphasis on humanities, economics and agricultural studies.

In 2010, as part of university structure strengthening, a structures resizing was officially approved and Agricultural Sciences School was created, which responded to country's agricultural problems priority.

Since 2013, Higher Education Ministry summoned the country to Universities integration of different profiles in each territory. In this way, previous Physical Culture School (October 2014), and Pedagogical Sciences University “Conrado Benítez” (September 2015) were incorporated into UCf university community.

Higher studies house would then assume the designation Cienfuegos University to refer to it in a general way. At the beginning of 2019, the name, acronym and foundation date of Cienfuegos University were announced by Higher Education Ministry (HEM), maintaining the name of the intellectual from Cienfuegos Carlos Rafael Rodríguez, a province representative figure and nationally and internationally recognized for his links with Cuban politics and intelligentsia.

Currently Cienfuegos University "Carlos Rafael Rodríguez" is made up of seven Schools: Social Sciences School, Humanities School, Agrarian Sciences School, Education School, Economic and Enterprise Sciences School, Physical Culture Sciences and Sports School and Engineering School.

Cienfuegos University “Carlos Rafael Rodríguez", dedicated to continuous integral training of competent and Socialist Homeland committed professionals, contributes through knowledge and innovation to socioeconomic development dynamization of the territory of Cienfuegos and of Cuban society. 

We are an Excellence University, that:

• Promotes an integral general culture in accordance with the Cuban society values.
• Offers leader professionals committed to Cuban society transformation.
• Exhibits high visibility of its scientific and innovation results.

Impacts on territory's and society’s economic and social development, satisfying professional improvement needs and research and innovation results implementation.