The university was established on May 10, 1907, as the Colegio de San Pablo by six nuns from the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (SPC) led by Mother Ephrem Marie Fieu.

The school was moved from its previous location in a convent to separate grounds acquired by the SPC from the Dominican Order due to the increased number of enrollees and the expansion of its curriculum.

After the war, the school changed its name to St. Paul College of Tuguegarao (SPCT) in 1948 as part of an initiative to become the first Teacher-Training Institution in Cagayan Valley.

[2] The school became the first university in Cagayan Valley in 1982,[2] and was granted autonomous status by the Commission on Higher Education in 2002.

[3] It received accreditation from more bodies and institutions such as TUV Rheinland which gave the SPUP, ISO 9001 Certification in 2000 and the Asian Association of Schools of Business International in 2014.