Founded in 1955 as a preparatory school called Justo Sierra Institute (Instituto Justo Sierra),[1] it was initially sponsored by Lions International until 1956, when it renamed as Northwestern Institute of Technology (Instituto Tecnológico del Noroeste).

[1] In 1962, Governor Luis Encinas Johnson approved a state law that restructured the institution and gave it its current name.

[1] The institution was the result of the efforts of the community of Cajeme, led by the president of the local chapter of Lions International, Moisés Vásquez Gudiño.

[1] After several restructurations, it became a public university in 1964 when it began to offer a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering.

In 1979 under the administration of Dr. Óscar Russo Vogel, the institution started expansion programs that continued in the 1980s to serve a growing-demand.