The history of the College can be traced back to the period of Borno State. It was established as the Advanced Teacher's College, Gashua by Edict No. 11 of 1988 deemed to have come into operation on 19th February, 1986. Prior to this, later date, the Borno College of Education, Maiduguri was the main NCE awarding institution in the State.

The decision of the then Borno State Government under the leadership of Lt. Col. Abdulmimini Aminu to approve the establishment of three more Colleges at Gashua, Biu and Bama was therefore based on the need to expand enrolment to meet the large teacher requirement in post-primary schools in the State. The objectives for which the College was established are:

1. To provide course of study, training and research in Arts, Languages and the Sciences leading to the award of Nigeria Certificate in Education.
2. To provide holders of NCE who shall teach in the primary and post-primary institutions in the State.
3. To promote, through teaching, research and other means the advancement of knowledge and its application to the needs of the State and the community.
4. To provide course of institution both in the academic and professional field for the students of the College and others.

The College under her first Provost, Alhaji Ibrahim Gwio-Kura, occupied the site of Teachers College, Gashua along Nguru Road. It statrted with an initial intake of 64 candidates for Nigeria Certificate in Education, 24 for preliminary, Art and Science courses, 184 for Remedial Studies and 34 Senior Academic and administrative staff.

On 28th October, 1986, the College was officially opened by the then Governor Lt. Col. Abdulmumini Aminu and 2 year later, it was renamed College of Education, Gashua . Following the request from the Ministry of Education for the affiliation of the College to the University of Maiduguri, approval was given for affiliation on academic matters on January, 1989.By that affiliation, the University took over the responsibility of assisting the College to develop academic programmes, moderating examination conducted by her and validating all certificates issued as well. In that same year of affiliation, the first batch of 34 graduands passed out.

In retrospect, the decision to establish the college was a sound one and by the virtue of jurisdiction, the College was handed over to the Yobe State Government when Yobe State was carved out of the then Borno State in 1991.

The process of de-affiliation of the College from the Univeristy of Maiduguri which started during the 1991/1992 session was completed at the end of the 1992/93 session. This is due to the fact that Decree No.3 of 1989 which sets up the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) vests in the Commission the responsibility of laying down minimum standards for all programmes of teacher education and accreditation of certificates and other awards.

In other to acknowledge and immortalize the immense effort of the immediate past Emir of Bade Alhaji Umar Suleiman, the College’s name was changed in 2008 to Umar Suleiman College of Education.