[2] On 28 November 2015, UMPSA had been granted autonomous status where control over financial, human resources and administration had been fully passed to the university.

UMPSA was established as a public technical university by the Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's cabinet on 16 February 2002.

The temporary campus was formerly an industrial complex owned by Malaysia Electric Corporation (MEC).

On 20 September 2006, the Malaysian government agreed to rename University College of Engineering and Technology Malaysia (UTEC) to Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), with the change coming into effect on 1 February 2007.

The alumni and student of Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah excelled in various fields, among the notable figures are The main campus was set as the background setting for a television comedy series known as Namaku Bedah (2017).