Established in 1974 as University of Houston–Downtown College (UH–DC), it has a campus that spans 40 acres (0.16 km2) in Downtown Houston with a satellite location, UHD–Northwest, inside Lone Star College–University Park.

As of Fall 2023[update], UHD enrolled 14,105 students in 4 academic colleges and offers 57 degree programs—45 bachelor's and 12 master's.

In 2016, a 26,000-square-foot Welcome Center opened its doors, and the O'Kane Gallery landed a new home featuring exhibitions for student, faculty, and local and national artists.

The O'Kane Gallery presents five to six exhibitions that meet the diverse interests of UHD students, faculty, staff, alumni, and campus visitors.

Exhibitions in all media provide educational support to various university courses and to nearby schools.

UHD decided to raze the building because the university deemed it more cost effective to do so instead of renovating the facility.

The institution is separately accredited, offers its own academic programs and confers its own degrees, and has its own administration.

The president is appointed by the UHS chancellor and confirmed by the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System.

[22] The university and its community offer additional activities for students such as clubs, organizations, fraternities, and sororities.