The conceptual plan of President University was first formulated in September 1997 by S. D. Darmono, the Chairman of Jababeka Group and Prof. Donald W. Watts, who was the President of Bond University, Queensland and Vice Chancellor of Curtin University, Western Australia. The goal of their proposed University was to create an institution of learning which would prepare future leaders of industry and society by giving them the skills and experience necessary to excel upon graduation.

The institution was officially operated in 2001, offering a Bachelor of Engineering degree. At that time, the institution was called the Cikarang School of Engineering (Sekolah Tinggi Teknik Cikarang). On April 16, 2004, the Ministry of Education granted President University official status as a full-fledged university.

Although as a relatively young university, President University (PresUniv) is growing at a tremendous rate every year. There are now approximately 5,000 students attending President University from Indonesia as well as many other countries. President University has expanded its courses offerings and now offers 14 different majors in subjects ranging from Industrial Engineering to Public Relations.

President University is located in Jababeka Education Park in Kota Jababeka, surrounded by Jababeka Industrial Estate with more than 1,700 national as well as multinational companies such as Unilever, Mattel, Samsung, Mulia, ICI Paints, and others. Its location also allows students to make use of world-class facilities such as the Jababeka Golf & Country Club and the President Executive Club.