Created in 1990 by segregation of the University of Santiago de Compostela, the origin of the University of Vigo must be sought at the beginning of the 20th century, and more specifically in 1901 when the Higher School of Industry began its teaching activity. However, it was not until 1970 when the degrees taught by this school and those in business studies, taught at the School of Commerce, were considered university-level when they became dependent on the University of Santiago.
It was also in that 1970s, specifically in 1972, when, in response to the growing demand for higher education in the geographical area of Vigo, the Social Projects of the Caja de Ahorros de Vigo, NCG Banco currently approves the creation, on the Las Lagunas mountain, of the University College of Vigo, which already in the 1977-1978 academic year begins to teach the first three courses of the degrees in Chemical Sciences and Biological, Economic and Philology. Two years later, the University of Santiago de Compostela integrated the studies taught by the University College of Vigo under its academic and administrative tutelage.
On January 1, 1990 and thanks to an authorization from the Government of Galicia for the segregation of centers and services, Segregation Decree 3/1990 was approved, which related the centers, degrees and services transferred administrative staff.