The institution was founded in 1878 as the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School to train African Americans as ministers and teachers.

At a meeting in Mobile, Alabama in 1874, the first trustees were elected: C. O. Booth, Alexander Butler, William H. McAlpine, Holland Thompson and H. J. Europe.

The Department of Education also cited four IRS tax liens and two State of Alabama tax liens against Selma University as evidence that Selma University was unable to meet its financial responsibility therefore lacking the requisite financial responsibility to administer Title IV and HEA programs.

Selma was also cited for failed administrative capability after allowing their student information system contract to expire without replacement leaving the university unable to adequately record and document student records and financial transactions.

Selma University was notified on February 21, 2020, that it was in violation of six of the Association for Biblical Higher Education's (ABHE) Institutional Accreditation Standards.

The school did not request a review or appeal and was placed on probation by the ABHE's Commission on Accreditation, effective March 3, 2020.

[8] Alvin A. Cleveland served as president for more than twenty years,[9] until replaced by Eddie Hill in June 2020.

In 1988, the science complex was expanded with the addition of an annex that houses an auditorium, several instructional laboratories, and two computer facilities, with offices for faculty.

The computer-equipped writing laboratory in Dinkins Hall, the mathematics laboratory in the Science addition (completed in 1989), and the expanded library facility which houses a center for audiovisual instruction and computer-aided self-study (completed in 1990) are among the more significant improvements to the campus.