[1] It occupies the premises of what was Artsakh University, the main institution of higher education in the region during the time it was under Armenian control.

Established as a branch of the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute, it initially offered two departments: Language and Literature, and Mathematics.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, when the region was de facto occupied by Armenia and formed the so-called Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijani academic activities were suspended.

In October 1992, the Armenian government decided to merge the institute with the Stepanakert branch of Yerevan Engineering University.

The newly formed institution was renamed Artsakh State University (ASU) and operated for almost thirty years.