In 1773, the building was remodeled and occupied by the Conciliar Seminary until the year 1859, when it closed.  In 1856 Lic. Don José de la Bárcena founded the Civil State College which occupied the current Central Building of the University on January 25th, 1860. Its original Motto was VIRTUTI ET MERITO. From the beginning, our institution has been impregnated by a religious conception of the world, as well as by the dynamic and critical spirit that the Jesuits represented  within the religious thought. Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, the conflict between the church and the State is reflected in education; and, although the purpose of the Civil College was to establish an alternative to the Seminary to bring up both Priests and  Lawyers, it cut off some of the subjects and a substantial part of its library, as well as the Academic Teachers who had been the first to teach in those cloisters of the Seminar.

In 1872 upon the death of Don Benito Juarez, students and teachers convinced the Government to change its name from "State Institute", to "Juarez Institute". The original colors that distinguished it were red and white. The year 1900 marks a pivotal moment in the life of the Institution with the creation of the first Student Council, which defined as its purpose "The addition of all kinds of knowledge".

In the year 1938, after its incorporation into the (UNAM)  University of Mexico, it adopted the slogan "POR MI RAZA HABLARÁ MI ESPÍRITU" (My Spirit will speak through my Race), the same shield as the current U. N. A. M´s, and not officially but by their influence, the blue and gold colors. At the beginning of the year 1957, the "Juarez Institute" only offered the Law School, High School, Practical Secretarial, Nursing and Music and Painting Schools. On March 21st, 1957, the Governor of the State Lic. Francisco Gonzalez de la Vega, issued a ruling in which the Juarez Institute rose to the category of University, called since then UNIVERSIDAD JUAREZ DEL ESTADO DE DURANGO (Juarez University of the State of Durango).

Some factors that determined the name change, from Juarez Institute to University, were the necessity of the State to promote the socioeconomic performance; as well as to avoid the brain drain to other developed states, thus achieving a larger grasp of professionals in our State. When the Schools of Medicine, Accounting and Administration and Veterinary were created,  the degree of University was granted to the UJED, opening to new fields of education and scientific professions not yet contacted.

By decree of the foundation of the Organic Law of the U. J. E. D., the Institution is entirely at the service of society, in accordance to a high sense of ethics and social service. The knowledge as a common goal, has to be increased and disseminated, aiming at benefiting the society. Technique and science should follow a similar path to enlightenment and humanism.

University means Universality, and  no human thing must seem unimportant to us. University means a unit of diversity, an example of what is common to all men regardless of race, nationality, religious or political beliefs.

The University of always, the University that must be a response to our will and our effort; we should be consistent with what we think and what we do; honest with our reality and convictions, where there is no place for unforgettable, demagogic and populist attitudes. The University Students must participate actively in all the actions to promote the development of our culture, while retaining the peace habits, mutual assistance, esteem and other moral principles.

Investigation was not more than a line on paper until 1970 in which The Institute of Scientific Research of the U. J. E.D. was established with academic autonomy in its organizational structure allowing it to evolve without any fundamental relation to schools, colleges and other research institutes of the same University.

Although the Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango has had real progress since its creation, its success has certainly been slow compared to other younger institutions.

We can return to history to take inheritances that ennoble the human condition, and also give us the framework to determine the source of our ills and arrears; though, the revision of the past offers possibilities for change in the future.

In the case of our University, a reform process initiated in 1988 aims to prepare the Institution for the challenge of modernity and actively participate in the new society that is taking shape now.

The restructuring and reform of the Institution is facing a large number of constraints that prevent the creation of the changes at the desired speed. The solutions to our institutional problems are making changes, seeking alternatives, convincing in a reasoned way as soon as possible, reconciling the deadlines that any planning must incorporate to achieve the desired objectives.

The reform programs of our University are positive in the sense that they promote an improvement  in the country´s education and provide a solution to the demands of the population in preparing competent and responsible professionals, as well as to develop a great sense of national identity. The Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango proposes a model that enables the development of the integral Institution, harmonizing national, State and community interests, along with its own.

The U.J.E.D., in fulfillment of its institutional purposes, seeks the advancement of the academy, placing its value in the pursuit of excellence and combining efforts in the pursuit of its ideal.

The University´s scientific and technological research must be strengthened and must be regarded as a priority  element of independence and autonomy for the country.

The local and national culture has full support from the University for its dissemination, as well as the intellectual and artistic development of individuals from Durango in response to the general principles and moral values that any culture must pursue.