Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for teacher and industrial training, Central State University was originally co-located with Wilberforce University, a four-year institution devoted to classical academic education. Central State was originally known as the Combined Normal and Industrial Department. In 1941, the institution gained a four-year curriculum, independent status in 1947, and was renamed Central State College in 1951. With further development, it gained university status in 1965. In 2014, Central State University received designation as a land-grant university.

Facilitated through the Institute for Capacity Building, the institution is now a participant in New Skills at Work, an effort designed to help institutions increase student completion of high-quality career pathways and scale operational models to improve overall student success.