UNAND was established based on the Decree of the Minister of Education, Teaching and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 41007 / Kab. July 14, 1955, and inaugurated by the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia on September 7, 1955, in Bukittinggi, is an amalgamation of the Pancasila Law College which was established in 1951 by the Sriwijaya Foundation in Padang, the Agricultural College in Payakumbuh and the Teacher Education College (PTPG) in PT. Batusangkar which was founded in 1954, as well as the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Certain Sciences and Natural Sciences, was founded in 1955 in Bukittinggi.

UNAND was officially instituted on September 13, 1956, based on Government Regulation Number 24 of 1956 (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia Number 40 of 1956, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1045) domiciled in Bukittinggi and since January 1, 1959, moved to Padang.

The Andalas University Faculty of Economics (FE-Unand) Padang, established on September 7, 1957, was originally named the College of Economics which was managed by the Pancasila College Foundation of the Bull Council. The establishment was marked by the inaugural lecture on the same date by Prof. Dr. Soemitro Djojokusumo which is located in the Jalan Imam Bonjol Padang Hall Warrior Building.

The Management Study Program has been established since UNAND's faculty of economics was established. At the beginning of its development, the Management Study Program was still called the Corporate Economic Study Program, but in the early 1980s based on the PP5 / 1980 letter the term was changed to the Management Study Program.