It started its journey in Chittagong in 1999 as an additional campus of Independent University Bangladesh (IUB).

IUB and the founding trust pioneered the establishment of private universities in Bangladesh.

The admission examination tests each student's potential to successfully pursue the undergraduate or graduate degree programs.

It is an open library system to students of CIU, which provides rich collection of books including journals, newsletter, thesis works, audio-visual materials and CDs.

The library has online access to Emerald, Jstor, Oxford University Press Journal and Hinari.