The history of the University of the East starts in September 1946, in a rented room on Dasmariñas Street, Manila, where 110 students enrolled in Certified Public Accountant (CPA) review classes.

The group of business teachers led by Dr. Francisco T. Dalupan, Sr. that started the sessions made it their objective to help the country, which was still reeling from the war.

[1] On September 11, 1946, five educators - namely Dr. Francisco T. Dalupan Sr., Dr. Hermengildo B. Reyes, José L. Torres, Enid Mapa and Santiago de la Cruz—established the Philippine College of Commerce and Business Administration (PCCBA) along R. Papa St. in Sampaloc, Manila.

The following year, more students enrolled and more academic units were organized, and the PCCBA moved to what is now UE's main campus on 2219 Claro M. Recto Avenue.

The first members of the Board were Dr. Hermenegildo Balbino Reyes, a businessman, scholar, and former Vice President of the University of the Philippines; Santiago F. de la Cruz, a CPA and business executive who later succeeded Dalupan as UE president; José L. Torres, a soldier, businessman, and accountant; and Jaime Hernández, former Secretary of Finance.

On the mid-1960s Dalupan commissioned the National Artist Guillermo Tolentino to create the symbol of every UEian, the Lualhati from the figure of CBA student Ophelia Salas.

In 1967, former President Diosdado Macapagal decided to teach part-time in the College of Business Administration and branded UE as the "People's University".

The devaluation of the peso, rising inflation, the high cost of wages, coupled with faculty, personnel and student strikes affected UE.

For a brief period in 1984, a controlling interest in the university was held by an entity of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation movement.

Students boycotted classes and held protests against the takeover, and in short time control was returned to stakeholders.

UE began offering a ladderized curriculum, a special course for executives, programs from the Institute for Computer Studies and Systems, and scholarships for accounting and engineering students.

Domingo immediately worked to cure the financial ills of the university by retiring its short-term debts and instituting fiscal and operational reforms.

Featured in the 2006 Computerworld Premier 100 of Computer World Magazine, the university ranked 15 among the top 100 corporations and companies in the use of Information Technology and is the only educational institution on the list.

[8] The upgrade will significantly improve speed and performance of student and faculty access to online learning resources and academic records.

The upgrade will also support the university's plan for a unified communications network ultimately linking the Manila facility with campuses in Caloocan and Quezon City.

The edifice, named after UE's chairman of the board and chief executive officer, features modern classrooms and laboratories, a 500-seater multipurpose hall, and a library with multi-media facilities.

The University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center ( UERMMMC ) Graduate School offers master's degree in the field of medicine, public health, nursing and physical therapy.

In the field of science, Filipino archaeologist and former director of the Anthropology Division of National Museum of the Philippines Alfredo E. Evangelista finished his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the university.

Famous poets of the second modernist movement in Filipino poetry include National Artist Virgilio S. Almario, Teo Antonio and Rogelio Mangahas.

[11] Other distinguished alumni are businessmen Andrew Tan and Rizalino S. Navarro; broadcasters Peter Musñgi, Quinito Henson, Erwin Tulfo, Ramon Tulfo and Ricky Lo; sports icons Baby Dalupan, Robert Jaworski, Nicole Almeda, Jerry Codiñera, Allan Caidic, James Yap and Paul Lee.

The UE Red Warriors ruled the 2007 Home and Away Invitational League (HAIL) basketball tournament, capturing their third straight championship in three years.

Lawrence Chongson, the Coach of the Cobra Energy Drink team in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL)[13] The University of the East (UE) Red Warriors moved up to the UAAP Season 72 Finals after defeating the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in their semi finals match-up.

The Warriors lost the crucial last game of the best-of-three finals with the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles.

The UE Red Warriors won the 2013 Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup title after defeating the NU Bulldogs 81–68 at the Arena in San Juan.