On June 12, 1986, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) gave back to the Residencia de Estudiantes its name in a solemn but simple ceremony, which was attended by numerous former residents. The dream that Alberto Jiménez Fraud had pursued in exile was fulfilled 22 years after his death.

Since then, the Residencia, guided by the spirit that inspired it in the past, has worked in two main areas: in the recovery and the diffusion of its intellectual and moral tradition; and at the same time, in the promotion of the dialogue between science and art, as well as in critical reflection on education and contemporary culture. It is once again an international meeting place dedicated to debate related to creativity and innovation.

Currently, the Residencia organizes and hosts many public activities (exhibitions, concerts, poetry readings, book presentations, conferences, and congresses), publishes the results of its various projects as catalogs and books, and has assembled a valuable collection of archival material on the Spanish culture of the Silver Age, preserved in its Documentation Center. In addition, it hosts each year around 4,000 researchers and artists from all over the world, along with the group of young talented Spanish and Latin American who are recipients of its scholarship program. In 2007, the Residencia was designated as a Patrimonio Europeo (European Heritage Site).

In 2007, the Residencia was designated as a European Heritage Site.