The university building was commissioned by the Royal Government of Iraq in the late 1950s and is located on the banks of the Tigris River.

Its buildings were designed by Walter Gropius, Louis McMillen, and Robert McMillan, of The Architects' Collaborative, and were made from 1959 to 1960.

The architects master plan for a new university campus, included the Schools of Engineering, Science, and Liberal Arts, for a total of 6,800 students.

Architects Hisham N. Ashkouri and Robert Owen developed the academic spaces program for the entire campus.

Baghdad University suffered from the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupation, with more than 90% of its students dropping out of some classes.