It was established in 1942, at which time Eastern Language Vocational College (東洋語学専門学校 Tōyō Gengo Senmon Gakkō) was subsumed into it.

[1] It acquired its current name, Kumamoto Gakuen University, in 1994.

The university also has an affiliated senior high school, located immediately adjacent to the campus.

While the high school is recognized as one of the best in the prefecture, the reputation of the university itself is as a second-rank institution.

The Open Research Center for Minamata Studies: this center carries out research into Minamata disease.