The antecedent school, the Goldsmith Business College, was founded by W. D. Cochrane and located at the corner of Larned and Woodward Avenue about four blocks north of the Detroit River.
In 1874 the institution moved to the corner of Griswold Street and Lafayette Avenue.
Among the students who studied at institutions that became the Detroit Business University was Henry Ford.
The school offers the following programs: DBI was formerly accredited as a non-degree-granting institution approved to grant diplomas and certificates by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).
However, in 2016 the United States Secretary of Education denied ACICS's accrediting status for failing to meet 21 recognition criteria.