The University of Seoul's foundation dates back to the opening of Gyeongseong Public Agricultural School on May 1, 1918, followed by the transformation into the Seoul Agricultural Junior College in June 1950. The college was then upgraded to a four-year university and renamed as Seoul Agricultural College in March 1956 with a focus on academic research in the field of agriculture.

In March 1974, recognizing the need for university education that fits social changes and regional characteristics, agricultural departments were abolished and reorganized into urban-related departments, and the school name was changed to Seoul Industrial University. In January 1975, the management department was transferred from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

In October 1981, to foster a genuine city university, the school name was changed to the University of Seoul, and master's and doctoral degree programs were established in the graduate school.

In March 1982, the Graduate School of Urban Administration was opened to conduct in-depth research on the ever-expanding areas of urban problems and to nurture professional intellectuals in urban studies. After completing essential affiliated institutions for university education and establishing various research institutes, the university developed a comprehensive research program, thus achieving the appearance of a well-rounded university.

On this foundation, the university was reorganized as a comprehensive university on November 6, 1986, and began operating as the current-day University of Seoul from the 1987 academic year.

In March 1990, the Graduate School of Business Administration was established to nurture competent business leaders, and in March 1991, the Graduate School of Industry was opened to cultivate advanced technical personnel, thus establishing a system to explore various academic fields extensively.

Since establishing a sister university relationship with the University of Akron in Ohio in August 1986, the University of Seoul signed exchange agreements with Tokyo Metropolitan University, Yokohama National University, Tokyo Gakugei University, and Hiroshima Women's University in Japan, as well as Budapest University in Hungary, University of Lodz in Poland, Morehead State University in Kentucky, and University of Technology Sydney in Australia.

Furthermore, under the motto of "truth, creation, and service," the University of Seoul teaches and researches academic fields that contribute to the nation and human society. The basic goals of our university are: to become a specialized and prestigious university in urban science-related disciplines; to serve Seoul citizens and contribute to city administration; and to lead higher education in the 21st century. Especially to foster and develop as a university centered on urban science, the College of Urban Sciences was established in 1997, providing education and research that can present comprehensive solutions to metropolitan problems through theoretical research and education along with practical approaches. In April 1998, to respond to the era of globalization and informatization and for higher-dimensional urban policy research, existing urban-related affiliated research institutes were integrated to establish the Institute of Urban Science. In 1999, to preserve the independence and characteristics of art studies, art-related departments were separated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to establish the College of Arts.

In 2000, the University of Seoul opened its Anti-Corruption Administrative System Research Institute as well as the Urban Disaster Prevention and Safety Research Institute in January, and established the Business Incubation Center in March. From March, to firmly establish the foundation as a research-centered university in urban science, the Graduate School of Urban Administration was expanded and reorganized into the Graduate School of Urban Sciences, and the Graduate School of Taxation was opened to nurture tax professionals, along with the Graduate School of Education to cultivate advanced personnel in the field of education.

In July 2001, the College of Arts was renamed the College of Arts and Sports, and the Department of Sports and Leisure Studies was newly established. In October, the E-Government Research Institute was opened to successfully implement Seoul's e-government administration. In February 2004, the Local Tax Research Institute was established, and in March, the Graduate School of Design was founded to nurture design professionals.

In April 2004, the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation was established, and the Design and Sculpture Building was newly constructed and opened. In September 2004, the College of Digital Media was abolished, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was separated into the College of Humanities and the College of Natural Science, reorganizing the university's educational structure. Additionally, the administrative organization was rationally restructured, including the establishment of the Institute of International Education to enhance global competitiveness and changing the name of the Electronic Computation Center to the Computing and Information Services.

In August 2005, the UOS Campus Master Plan was prepared with the goal of the university's 100th anniversary in 2018, establishing an annual development plan for rational space adjustment and efficient operation. In September, the Seoul Regional Environmental Technology Development Center, designated by the Ministry of Environment, was attracted to our university to resolve environmental complaints in Seoul, conduct environmental policy research and development, and nurture technical personnel.

As the engineering education accreditation program was implemented starting with the 2006 academic year freshmen, the Engineering Education Support Center was opened in April 2006 to support the revision of department-specific curricula necessary for engineering education accreditation. Additionally, in August 2006, a dormitory with a total of 309 rooms was opened, and in January 2007, the university obtained the highest grade in the International Architectural Education Accreditation for the first time in Korea.

In May 2007, to reorganize the functions of the university headquarters, the Center for Teaching and Learning Development was newly established, and the name of the Engineering Education Support Center was changed to the Engineering Education Innovation Center. In July, the Office of Planning and Development was renamed the Office of Planning and Research, and the Vice President for Research and the Industry-Academic Research Support Team were newly established. The Public Relations Team was reorganized into the Public Relations and External Cooperation Team. The E-Government Research Institute and the Legal Administration Research Institute were abolished, and the Law Research Institute, the Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, and the Natural Science Research Institute were newly established. In January and July, the expansion of three floors of the Liberal Arts Building and two floors of the Design and Sculpture Building was completed, respectively, and in December, the Information and Technology Building was newly constructed and opened.

In 2008, the Law School Building, Wellness Center, and Campus Management Center were newly constructed, and the expansion of the Student Hall and various environmental improvement projects were completed. Furthermore, as a result of consistently pursuing the specialization in urban science, which is our university's comparative advantage field, since the mid-1990s, following 1997, 2003, and 2004, the university was selected as an excellent specialized university by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in 2005 (for four years until 2008) and is conducting various projects with the goal of establishing a world-class urban science education and research-centered university.

The University of Seoul widely announced its leap forward through various commemorative events such as the Vision 2018 Declaration Ceremony, KBS Open Concert, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Chung Myung-whun Invitational Concert, and International Symposium inviting presidents of overseas exchange universities to celebrate its 90th anniversary. It was also a year that expressed the will to leap forward as a truly first-class prestigious university in Korea by 2018, the 100th anniversary of the university's founding. In September 2008, UOS Law School received approval from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and opened in March 2009 specializing in tax law with excellent legal education outcomes.

In December 2009, the University of Seoul obtained engineering education accreditation, was selected for the Education Capacity Enhancement Project for the fourth consecutive year, completed the construction of 7 additional floors to the Science and Technology Building in August 2009 according to the UOS Campus Master Plan 2020, and finished the development of the central road and improvement of pedestrian walkways in November. Additionally, in December 2009, the University of Seoul officially added its name to the Seoul Metro subway station name of Cheongnyangni Station.

In June 2010, the University of Seoul was selected as a recipient of the Advancement of College Education (ACE) Project, receiving a total of 12 billion won in support over four years starting from 2010. In December 2010, the main stadium was opened along with the completion of the main entrance tower and campus clock tower, and in April 2011, the Mirae Hall, International House (dormitory) with 82 rooms, and Campus Management Center were expanded, and the Media Hall was opened.

In August 2012, a development plan for the new 100 years towards 2018 was established, and a master's program for government officials from sister cities in developing countries was operated. In September, the administrative organization was restructured, including changing the Office of General Affairs to the Office of Administration, to actively respond to new environmental changes, and the Urban Flood Research Institute was established. In November, the International School of Urban Sciences was established to strengthen the university's international competitiveness, opening two departments (Global Construction Management with 30 new students, and Advanced Green City Development with 9 students). Additionally, in December, a launch ceremony was held to foster school enterprises. In February 2013, the Department of Sports and Leisure Studies was renamed to the Department of Sports Science, in October a master's program in Chinese Language and Culture was established, and in December, the university obtained institutional accreditation.

In May 2013, the University of Seoul partnered with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Institute to implement a work exchange program to enhance synergy effects between institutions. The UOS Anti-Corruption Research Institute created the first case of transferring Seoul's anti-corruption know-how to local governments through a business agreement with Cheonan City for integrity education and evaluation. In July, the university led undergraduate education by establishing a self-education certification system to present standards for education certification. In December, at the 2013 e-Government Awards, the university proposed a real-time parking app that could more efficiently operate the existing parking management system in Seoul, and received the Electronic Times President's Award among the private sector encouragement awards.

In March 2014, the university increased work efficiency through organizational restructuring, including the establishment of the Office of Educational Innovation by integrating the Education Certification Institute and the Undergraduate Education Institute, the establishment of the Admissions Office, and changing the name of the Planning Officer (to Planning Division). In April, the 4th AMCHAM Innovation Camp was held to enhance students' employment capabilities, and in May, the university strengthened its educational competitiveness through agreements with Korea Expressway Corporation and Seoul Arts Center. In September and October, new educational programs were established to meet current trends, including the creation of the Seoul Talent Academy Department in the Graduate School of Urban Sciences, the establishment of a doctoral program in Sports Science, adjustment of the admission quota for the Graduate School of Business, and renaming the Global Construction Management Department in the International School of Urban Sciences. In December, President Lee Geon actively participated in external activities, including attending the 5th Hongneung Forum.

In March 2015, Dr. Won Yun-hi took office as the 8th President and began his term. In April, the university contributed to city administration activities by hosting the Korea-Japan GIS Expert Seminar with the Seoul Waterworks Authority, and in May, signed an industry-academic agreement with the Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In June, the university distinguished itself in external evaluations by ranking 15th and 7th nationally (84th and 49th in Asia) in the Chosun Ilbo-QS Asian University Rankings and THE Asian University Rankings, respectively. In October, it achieved the feat of ranking 10th, its highest ranking since participating in the JoongAng Ilbo University Rankings. In November, a preparatory committee for the establishment of the Graduate School of Public Health was launched, and it was also a year when University of Seoul students excelled in various professional examinations, such as certified public accountant, real estate appraiser, and administrative service examinations.

In March 2016, the College of Liberal Studies and Convergence was established at the University of Seoul, creating a new Department of Convergence Majors. In May, the UOS Lifelong Education Center was established and is being operated to contribute to the improvement of citizens' quality of life and community development through liberal arts education and professional technical education. Also in June, a new Music Hall with a 300-seat concert hall equipped with top-level acoustic facilities in Korea was completed. The University of Seoul was also selected as the 2016 Smart Creation Space by the Small and Medium Business Administration and as an excellent university for the 2016 College Student Youth Education Support Project by the Korea Scholarship Foundation, becoming the only university in Seoul to receive funding.

In March 2017, the university held the completion ceremony for the 1st batch and the launch ceremony for the 2nd batch of the Era Sharing School in collaboration with Seongdong-gu. In April, with the signing of an MOU with Kotebe University of Ethiopia, our university is now conducting various academic and student exchange activities with 274 universities in 52 countries. The university was also selected for projects led by central government ministries, receiving 1.2 billion won for the Field-Oriented Science and Engineering Talent Nurturing Support Project, 2.7 billion won for the ACE⁺ Project, and 400 million won for the K-MOOC Project. The university took the lead in strengthening the social responsibility and public nature of public universities by deciding to abolish admission fees and application fees from the 2018 academic year, a first among national universities. In August, it achieved the feat of winning the Gold Award in the Video (Education) category at the International Business Awards (IBA), known as the Oscars of the business world. In addition, recognizing the importance of public health and medical care, the institutional foundation for opening the Graduate School of Urban Public Health in 2018 was established. Furthermore, as the only university in Seoul, it was selected as a national excellent university for two consecutive years in the field of college student and youth education support projects by the Korea Scholarship Foundation.

In March 2018, the University of Seoul workplace daycare center opened, and the Central Library Community Lounge was inaugurated to improve user convenience. In April, commemorative stamps for the 100th anniversary of the university's founding were issued. In May, the 100th anniversary ceremony was successfully held, and the University of Seoul's 100th anniversary was announced through various activities such as declaring a new vision, sealing a time capsule, inviting a Nobel Prize winner in Physics for a special lecture, holding the Daedongje festival, and opening a festival and sharing market. In June, the Seoul Urban Forum was held and the Smart City Convergence Research Center was established. In July, the Seoul Think Tank Council was launched, and various events such as the Seoul Metropolitan Fora International Conference and an architectural work exhibition were successfully held. In August, through the opening ceremony of the 100th Anniversary Memorial Hall, it was hoped that it would become a place for education and research to lead the new 100 years of the University of Seoul and a multi-cultural space for Seoul citizens. Additionally, as a result of the 2018 University Basic Competency Diagnosis, the university was selected as an autonomous improvement university, enabling support for various government financial support projects in the future. In September and October, various events such as the Club Citizen Culture Festival and UOS International Food Festival were planned and held to celebrate the 100th anniversary. In November, the 12th Hongneung Forum was successfully held at the 100th Anniversary Memorial Hall on the theme of establishing the Hongneung Cluster for innovative growth.

In March 2019, Dr. Seo Soon-tak took office as the 9th President and began his term, and implemented a university innovation support project plan of about 4.4 billion won in accordance with the selection as an autonomous improvement university. In April, the Department of Smart City was established in the graduate school. In July, the Big Data Research Center was established under the Research Affairs Office to systematically promote the establishment of the Big Data Research Institute and strengthen its execution. In September, an MOU was signed with Tuv Aimag, Mongolia, to promote the establishment of a global campus, and the first Samdong Festival, a joint festival of three universities in Dongdaemun-gu (University of Seoul, Kyung Hee University, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), was held. In October, the Campus Committee was launched, allowing internal members to freely propose and implement opinions. In November, the Student Future Support Center was opened to nurture talents required by future society, and the 2019 University Development Implementation Plan was established. In December, the International Journal of Urban Sciences (IJUS) of the University of Seoul was selected for SSCI, and the UOS Industry-Government-Academia Cooperation Festival was held.

In January 2020, organizational restructuring was carried out, including the establishment of a vice president system, the creation of the Future Innovation Institute, and the separation of the graduate school administration office, to effectively deal with external relations and current issues, strengthen the internal management system, and establish and lay the foundation for a future innovation promotion system. In April, two advanced departments (Department of Artificial Intelligence, and Department of Convergence and Applied Chemistry) were established to nurture professional talents in advanced technology and new industry fields. In May, the remodeling of the basement of the Student Union Building was completed, and in June, the Urban Science Big Data and AI Research Institute was established to lead the 4th Industrial Revolution. In September, the Student Future Design Semester System curriculum was implemented, and the IR Center was established to strengthen data-based comprehensive performance management and research systems. In November, the 1st UOS President's Cup E-Sports Tournament was held, and the expansion of the Architecture and Civil Engineering Building was completed. In December, with the completion of the Youth UP Platform, various youth startup programs are planned to be supported. In addition, the university was selected for large-scale government financial support projects, including 1.1 billion won for the High School Education Contribution University Support Project, 2.0 billion won for the LINC+ 4th Industrial Revolution Innovation Leading University Project, 14 billion won for the 4th stage BK21 Project, and 2.5 billion won for the International Cooperation Leading University Nurturing and Support Project.

In February 2021, a student lounge and maker studio were opened in the Science and Technology Building to establish a creative education foundation through space innovation, and in March, the "UOStory" portfolio system was opened to support student career development and management. In June, the Gangchon Training Center's glamping site opened, and in July, the International Urban Development Department and two advanced departments (Artificial Intelligence Department and Convergence Applied Chemistry Department) were newly established in the graduate school to nurture professional talents in advanced technology and new industry fields and strengthen research capabilities. And to secure excellent faculty and supplement the shortage of administrative staff, the quota for full-time faculty and teaching assistants was increased by 15 (total full-time faculty quota 465) and 6 (total teaching assistant quota 75), respectively. In addition, the university was selected for the 3rd cycle University Basic Competency Diagnosis Evaluation as a general financial support university (15 billion won for 3 years), the 10 billion won Digital New Technology Talent Nurturing Innovation Sharing University Project (Artificial Intelligence, Big Data), and Seoul's Campus Town Project (10 billion won), laying the foundation for nurturing talents leading the development of future society and practicing social value sharing.

In January 2022, 10 researchers who achieved excellent results in major research areas such as national R&D project research performance were selected, and the Outstanding Researcher Award Ceremony was held to boost researchers' morale and encourage active research activities. In March, a special merit award ceremony for university development contribution was held to recognize the contributions of 6 faculty members who contributed to university development. In May, the START-UP IMPACT festival was successfully held to spread startup culture and enhance startup activation, and an Urban Science Joint Exhibition was held to provide an opportunity for major fields of urban science to converge and communicate with each other. In July, the International Journal of Urban Sciences (IJUS), jointly published by our university and the Korea Planning Association, achieved a citation index of 3.012 in the 2022 Journal Citation Report, entering the Q2 in the urban field. Also, a mentoring talk concert for the Era Sharing School was held to share experiences between working mentors and student mentees, motivating them to challenge various activities. In August, the university attended the launch ceremony held at the Royal University of Phnom Penh for the establishment of the Department of Sustainable Urban Planning and Development to solve urban problems within the Cambodian university. The 2022 Global Friends Night networking event was also held with the participation of domestic and international alumni, relevant cooperative institutions, and ambassadors from various countries, promoting relations between Korea and major partner countries and building networks between domestic experts and foreign government official alumni-graduate students. In November, the 2022 UOS Industry-Government-Academia Cooperation Festival was held to share excellent results of university-industry-government cooperation and promote mutual growth. In December, a kick-off meeting was held to report on the first phase implementation plan for the next-generation university informatization project (13 billion won scale) to completely rebuild the school's computer system with the latest base technology. In addition, the quota for advanced fields in the general graduate school significantly increased with the approval of 161 additional students (120 for master's and 41 for doctoral programs) for four departments including Intelligent Semiconductor (newly established), Smart City, Statistical Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence. The university was also selected for various projects such as the Waste Resource Energy Specialization Graduate School (1.5 billion won for 5 years), Data Science Convergence Talent Nurturing in Science and Technology Innovation Talent Nurturing Project (3.6 billion won for 4 years), and Spatial Information Specialization University (540 million won for 3 years), establishing a major base for nurturing advanced talents to contribute to core technologies of future industries.

To nurture global leaders, academic exchange agreements have been signed with prestigious foreign universities, and as of February 2023, various academic and student exchange activities are being conducted with 373 universities in 61 countries. Through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which the university joined in July 2015, student exchange activities have become possible with about 260 schools worldwide. The number of universities with exchange agreements by region is 60 in North America, 149 in Asia, 139 in Europe, 5 in Oceania, 16 in Central and South America, and 4 in Africa.

Located on a 434,004 m² campus at the foot of Baebongsan Mountain in the historic neighborhood of Jeonnong-dong, the University of Seoul has been producing professional talents required by the nation and society for 100 years. As a result of the university working together with the city to strengthen its academic foundation, it currently has 8 colleges with 39 departments and schools with a total admission quota of 1,727 students, and 10 graduate schools with a total admission quota of 1,316 students. To date, more than 70,000 graduates are playing pivotal roles in various sectors of society, and over 10,000 current students are dedicated to academic research and character development on campus.

In January 2023, the Engineering Research Institute was opened, and the Engineer of the Year Award ceremony was held to boost the morale of those who contributed to the development and academic research in the field of engineering. In February, the UOS Convergence Building was completed, addressing the shortage of education and research space for science and engineering departments and creating safe laboratories, resulting in a reborn pleasant education and research environment. In March, Dr. Won Yong-gul took office as the 10th President of UOS. In May, the University Job Plus Center was opened to provide youth-specific one-stop career and employment services for students, graduates, and local youth until February 2028. In June, the University of Seoul was selected as a participating university in the 2023 Advanced Field Innovation Convergence University Project's "Next-Generation Communications" field, organized by the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea, contributing to cultivating talent in advanced fields through flexible faculty and academic systems and corporate participation projects. In August, the 2023 Seoul Policy Sharing International Conference was held with the participation of about 120 invited guests and urban officials from 22 countries, including the Deputy Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction of Cambodia, to confirm the University of Seoul's contributions to the international community and Seoul's major current issues as well as to promote mutual development between cooperative cities and Seoul through future policy sharing. Additionally, the Intelligent μWave Energy Research Center (RCC) was opened to focus on developing core and original technologies for intelligent microwave energy systems. In September, a public debate of the Tuition Normalization Public Discussion Committee was held, with about 200 students, professors, and staff members participating in in-depth discussions on university development and tuition increases. In October, the University of Seoul was selected for the Climate Change Specialization Graduate School Support Project and plans to cultivate specialized personnel to respond to climate change through industry-academia cooperation. In November, the 2023 UOS Industry-Government-Academia Cooperation Festival was held to share outstanding achievements in university industry-government-academia cooperation and provide a platform for exchange, including promotion of companies and institutions.

To nurture global leaders, academic exchange agreements have been signed with prestigious foreign universities, and as of February 2024, various academic and student exchange activities are being conducted with 393 universities in 62 countries. Through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which the university joined in July 2015, student exchange activities have become possible with about 260 schools worldwide. The number of universities with exchange agreements by region is 64 in North America, 157 in Asia, 145 in Europe, 5 in Oceania, 17 in Latin America, and 5 in Africa.

Located on a 434,004 m² campus at the foot of Baebongsan Mountain in the historic neighborhood of Jeonnong-dong, the University of Seoul has been producing professional talents required by the nation and society for 100 years. As a result of the university working together with the city to strengthen its academic foundation, it currently has 8 colleges with 39 departments and schools with a total admission quota of 1,747 students, and 10 graduate schools with a total admission quota of 1,316 students. To date, more than 70,000 graduates are playing pivotal roles in various sectors of society, and over 10,000 current students are dedicated to academic research and character development on campus.