In its 823rd meeting, the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents established the UP College Tacloban as an answer to the urgent need for quality education in Region VIII. It was recognized as a regional unit of the System on May 23, 1973 and inaugurated on July 2, 1973.
Ten years later, Executive Order No. 4 placed UP College Tacloban under the administrative supervision of University of the Philippines Visayas.