On September 26, 1876 in the district town of Belgorod, the Teacher's Training Institute was founded by the order of the Russian Ministry of Public Education.

In 1922 Belgorod Institute of Public Education was reorganized into Belgorod Practical Institute of Public Education, which was reordered into the Pedagogical Secondary School in September, 1923.

The university had to temporarily suspend its operation in 1941 due to the outbreak of World War II and resumed its work only when the area had been completely liberated – in 1944, but in a new place – the town of Stary Oskol (Belgorod region) because Belgorod came out of war almost totally destroyed.

Over five years the university received 2 billion rubles of federal funding, which allowed the university to complete the projects within some research programs, to build a new dormitory for 1,000 residents and an 80-apartment house for young scientists.

Ranking Web of Repositories Position 812, the 4th place among 23 Russian universities and scientific organizations The university has a Youth Media Holding, which includes an editorial office of a youth supplement to the News of BelSU newspaper – “Nota Bene”, BelSU's (White Goose) Radio, TUT TV and the site of the Youth Editorial Office [4] Svetlana Khorkina Educational and Sports Complex[2] The 36.7-thousand-square-meter complex houses a 50-meter swimming pool[3] with springboards (up to 10 meters high), an athletics arena, a universal arena, a chess club guided by Grandmaster Alexander Alexandrovich Ivanov (Belgorod),[4] gyms, rooms for table tennis, rooms for dance and aerobics.