Introduction: Despite academic climate being a key aspect of teaching quality in academic institutions, few studies conducted in the university context have analyzed this construct systematically. Method: Given the absence of specific tools to apply to university, we propose the construction of a tool for assessing college students' perceptions of their class climate based on an adapted questionnaire regarding social climate in the classroom designed for secondary schools. Results: The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted on a sample of 330 college students from different disciplines and years resulted in a 22-item questionnaire with one second-order factor on academic climate separable into three first-order factors (the professor's performance and relationship with the students, affective atmosphere--sense of belonging--and normative behavior, and relationships between students). Discussion and Conclusion: The Classroom Social Climate Scale for Universities (CSCS-U) has adequate psychometric properties and is a good starting point from which to evaluate classroom climate in the university context.