Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut's oldest publicly-funded university.

[9] It was the sixth normal school in the United States and is the oldest public university in Connecticut.

[10][11] It ran until 1867 when the school was temporarily closed due to opposition in the Connecticut General Assembly.

[15] Facilities[16] include 10 academic halls, the Student Center, the Burritt Library,[17] and numerous laboratories.

[19] Administrative offices, including Admissions, the Registrar, and Financial Aid are located in Davidson Hall.

New building projects have expanded liberal arts classroom space and made significant upgrades to all sports facilities.

By 2015, a new $37-million Social Sciences Hall, 4,300-square-foot Bichum Engineering Laboratory, and 12,500-square-foot Campus Police Station opened.

[20] In 2011, the first floor of the Elihu Burritt Library was renovated to create a new common area with seating, couches, computers, and food vendors.

The university fields 18 varsity sports, eight men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, as well as indoor and outdoor track & field; and ten women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball.