The university took in its first students, numbering 118, in 1993 with the opening of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology. These students were temporarily located at Telekom Training College, Simpang Tiga, Kuching, until 1994, when the university moved to its East Campus in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. The university's East Campus at Kota Samarahan was officially launched by the Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad on Independence Day, 31 August 1993.
