Initially, Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta (UPY) was in the form of an institute (IKIP PGRI Yogyakarta) which was established on December 11, 1962 based on the Decree of the Minister of Higher Education and Science of the Republic of Indonesia Number 44 / SWT / P / 62 in the form of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education including the Department of Education and the Department of History located at SGA Stelladuce (Hitchhiking) which is located in the Trenggono Field complex, Klitren kidul Yogyakarta. Starting in 1964, the FKIP PGRI Yogyakarta campus (the forerunner of IKIP PGRI Yogyakarta) moved to SD Ungaran, Kotabaru Yogyakarta (now SDN Ungaran 2) until 1980. Then in 1981 it moved again to the SGPLB complex on Jl. Wates, Kalibayem Yogyakarta.
Based on the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Number: 029/0/1981 dated January 22, 1981 concerning the Reestablishment of Registered Status for PTS in Kopertis Region IV which re-establishes Registered status for IKIP PGRI Yogyakarta which includes: Faculty of Education majoring in Theory and History of Education and Faculty of Social Sciences majoring in History. In addition, it also developed a new department at the Faculty of Education and opened a department of Educational Psychology and Guidance which received Registered status based on the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture Number: 0109 / O / 1984 dated March 9, 1984. In addition, it also opened a Mathematics Education department which later obtained registered status based on the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture Number: 0128 / O / 1985 on May 6, 1985.In its development, based on the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture Number: 042 / O / 1985, the Department of Educational Theory and History changed its name to the Department of Philosophy and Sociology of Education, while the Department of History Science changed to the Department of History Education. To meet the demands of the community and the needs of educators and to develop themselves, in 1983 the Faculty of Social Science Education, IKIP PGRI Yogyakarta opened a new department, namely the Department of Pancasila Moral Education and Citizenship (now PPKn) which received Registered status based on the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture Number: 0428 / O / 1987 dated July 27, 1987.
After always staying with other institutions, starting in 1984 it was able to occupy its own campus in the Sonosewu area, Ngestiharjo Kasihan Bantul until now.
In order to meet the demands of development needs, the development of science and technology, and pay attention to future prospects, since 1995 a form change was released, from the Institute to the University with a decree number: 180/DIKTI/KEP/1997, dated July 25, 1997, IKIP PGRI Yogyakarta became Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta (UPY).