The college was inaugurated on 18 July 2009 by Her Majesty, Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck.

[2] Royal Thimphu College has since established a number of international partnerships, including with Wheaton College in the United States, the alma mater of the Fifth King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

In 2016, the College was awarded the Institutional Development Grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for anthropological research based in the United States.

The grant provided $125,000 for the college to support the development of capacity in the field of anthropology in the country.

[6] More recently it has received numerous substantial grants through the Erasmus Programme in Europe for projects to increase internationalization, foster entrepreneurship, and to build expertise in qualitative research as well as appreciation for its many uses.