This school, which was known as the Educational Department of Textile Machine Works from 1927 to 1933 and then was the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute from 1933 to 1958, was established with the aid of the then-Pennsylvania State College.

WPI occupied the original Sacred Heart Church building on Hill Road, where the McDonald's Restaurant now stands, from 1930 to 1958.

WPI, which is considered the first official predecessor to Penn State Berks, closed in 1958 with the down-turn of the textile industry at large in the Reading area.

The newly-rebranded school, part of Penn State's nascent commonwealth campus system, officially opened its doors on July 1, 1958.

It then moved to its present Spring Township location in 1972, when it also adopted its current name, Penn State Berks, for the first time.

Penn State–Berks, known athletically as the Nittany Lions, compete at the NCAA Division III level; which is also a member of the United East Conference.