The Sydney Mechanical School of Arts was formed in 1833, and preceded the Sydney Technical College. This led to the whole TAFE system, and to the establishment of the NSW Institute of Technology (NSWIT) in 1965.

The antecedent institutions that laid the foundation for UTS date back as far as 1893, but it was not until the 1960s that these institutions took new shapes that began the shift toward the UTS we see today.

UTS was formed in 1988 from the former NSWIT, and was subsequently restructured with the merger of the 'Old UTS' with the Kuring-Gai College of Advanced Education (formerly William Balmain Teachers College), Sydney College of the Arts – School of Design, the Institute of Technical and Adult Teacher Education and Acupuncture Colleges (Australia).

Acupuncture Colleges (Australia)

Originally located in Paddington before moving to Harris Street in Ultimo, Acupuncture Colleges (Australia) (ACA) was a private institution from 1980 until its integration into UTS in 1994 as a special unit under the Faculty of Science. The course was originally a diploma before becoming a bachelor degree.

Balmain Teachers' College - Orange Grove Annex Alumni Network and William Balmain College of Advanced Education

The Orange Grove Annex of Balmain Teachers' College opened on 10 June 1957 and operated with an all-female student body until its closure in 1970. It was then reopened in 1971 as William Balmain College of Advanced Education, and in 1974 was renamed Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education.

Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education

In 1974 William Balmain Teachers' College became Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education. In 1975 the course offering expanded to include Business Studies, Library and Information Studies, and the College of Law was also integrated as a School of Practical Legal Training. The School of Nursing was then established at Kuring-gai College in 1986. Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education became the Kuring-gai Campus of the University of Technology, Sydney on 1 January 1990.
Sadly the Kuring-gai Campus closed in 2015, with all classes moving to the UTS City campus. 

New South Wales Institute of Technology

In 1965, Sydney Technical College became the NSW Institute of Technology (NSWIT). NSWIT's purpose was clearly vocational and technical, providing a wide range of tertiary courses for the training and education of professional technologists' and relieving pressure on universities when industry and commerce demanded 'technical preparation' of students. NSWIT became the University of Technology, Sydney on 26 January 1988.

Sydney College of Advanced Education – Institute of Technical and Adult Teacher Education

The Sydney College of Advanced Education (CAE) operated from 1981-1989 in response to recommendations for consolidation of higher education provision. It was formed from a number of participating colleges including The Institute of Technical and Adult Teacher Education (ITATE). In 1989 Sydney CAE ceased to exist as a corporate body and its institutes transferred to the four Sydney metropolitan universities, with the Institute of Technical and Adult Teacher Education integrated into UTS.

Sydney College of the Arts – School of Design

Sydney College of the Arts was established by the NSW Minister for Education as a College of Advanced Education. The College, which was the first of its kind in NSW, aimed to provide tertiary education to produce practising professional artists and designers. The academic program was divided into two streams: the School of Visual Arts and the School of Design. The College was officially dissolved in 1988, and the School of Design was transferred to UTS while the School of Visual Arts became part of the University of Sydney.