In 1944, the University of Michigan opened a University Extension Office in Flint. At the same time the City of Flint was selected as a University of Michigan Center for Graduate Study under the administration of the Extension Service.

The University of Michigan Flint was established in 1956 as the Flint College of the University of Michigan. In 1965, the first freshman class made the college the first four-year University of Michigan program offered outside Ann Arbor. It moved from Mott Community College campus to its present downtown river-front site in 1976. As a commuter campus, it primarily serves an eight-county region. Included are Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Oakland, Saginaw, Shiawassee, St. Clair, and Tuscola Counties.

The campus covers 70-acres with more than 1.2 million gross square feet contained within 12 buildings and 2 parking structures. Sixty undergraduate programs and eight master’s degree programs are currently offered for the 2000 - 2001 school year. Approximately 735 people are employed by the University.