The college which would become the University of Chester was founded in 1839 by such pioneers as the great 19th-century prime ministers William Gladstone and the Earl of Derby, and a former Archbishop of Canterbury.

It is one of the oldest English higher education establishments of any kind, pre-dating all but Oxford, Cambridge, London and Durham, and its original buildings in the Roman city of Chester were the first in the country to be purpose-built for the professional training of teachers. The Dean and Chapter of Chester Cathedral donated land on Parkgate Road for this endeavour. In 1842, Gladstone opened the College's original buildings for its first intake of 10 male student teachers on the Parkgate Road site, just outside the City Walls, that the University still occupies today, after the College moved from its initial, temporary base in Bridge Street.

Education qualifications remain significant and are now a fraction of the 420 course combinations on offer. In the 20th Century, the institution steadily expanded its student numbers and the variety and nature of its courses, which range from Animation to Zoo Management.