Previously, the university building housed the Franz Joseph Real Gymnasium attended by Ivan Franko. The famous neo-classical poet Petro Karmansky, public figure Volodymyr Birchak and music professor Anastasia Ogrodnik-Zhilava taught here; the Gymnasium was headed by Andriy Alyskevych. Several prominent figures in the Ukrainian history were among its graduates: Vasyl Stefanyk, Les Martovych, Stefan Kovaliv, Volodymyr Birchak, Ostap Nyzhankivskyi, Hryhoriy Kossak, Bruno Shultz, Andrzej Htsyuk, Mykhailo Matchak, Vasyl Shevchuk, Mykola Friz.
The history of Drohobych State Pedagogical University began on April 15, 1940, when, in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the RSFSR No. 461, the Drohobych Teachers’ Institute was founded with the historical, geographical and linguistic-literary faculties. On March 12, 1940, the first announcement about enrollment to the Drohobych State Teachers’ Institute was published in the regional newspaper “Bolshevik Pravda”. On September 1, 1940, the grand opening of the institute took place as part of the historical, linguistic-literary and physics-mathematical faculties with daytime, evening and correspondence forms of studies.
During the war years, the institute ceased its activities and on November 19, 1944 it resumed its work announcing enrollment for three faculties: history, philology, physics-mathematics.
1945-1946 —first enrollment for the correspondence department.
1947 —first institute graduates go to work in schools.
On October 25, 1952, the Drohobych Teachers’ Institute was reorganized into Pedagogical Institute in accordance with the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR No. 2733.
In February 1954, the institute was named after Ivan Franko.
On September 1, 1956, the history faculty of the Drohobych Pedagogical Institute was dissolved and the students were transferred to the history faculty of Lviv State University by order of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education of the Ukrainian SSR and the Ministry of Education of the Ukrainian SSR No. 468/297 dated July 4, 1956.
In February 1960, Lviv Pedagogical Institute was transferred to Drohobych and merged with Drohobych Ivan Franko Pedagogical Institute.
On September 1, 1960, the Faculty of Primary School Teacher Training was established as part of the United Pedagogical Institute, in accordance with the Resolution of the Ministry of Education of the Ukrainian SSR No. 266/98 dated May 31, 1960.
On February 6, 1962, the Faculty of General Sciences was established. This decision was made by order of the Ministry of Education of the USSR No. 15-23.
On July 3 and 7, 1962, two new faculties were opened at the Pedagogical Institute according to the order of the Ministry of Education of the USSR No. 137, — the Faculty of Foreign Languages and the Faculty of Music Education.
On January 30, 1968, the General Science Department at the Pedagogical Institute was liquidated in accordance with Order No. 17 of the Ministry of Education of the USSR.
On July 24, 1968, the faculty of primary school teacher training at the Pedagogical Institute ceased its work by order of the Ministry of Education of the USSR No. 202. However, it was restored again in 1979, according to the same order of the Ministry of Education.
On July 3, 1978, the Department of Teaching General Technical Disciplines was established at the Pedagogical Institute, in accordance with Order No. 157 of the Ministry of Education of the USSR.
In 1992/1993, the Faculty of Management and Marketing and the Department of History were opened at the Pedagogical Institute.
On June 11, 1992, the order of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine No. 193 was issued regarding the first graduate students of the linguistic and physical faculties of the Drohobych Pedagogical Institute.
1995 — the institute was certified and assigned to higher educational institutions of the III-IV level of accreditation.
1996 — the institute joined the Alliance of Universities for Democracy.
On December 10, 1997, the order of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine No. 438 was issued, which established the Faculty of Physical Education at the Drohobych Pedagogical Institute.
On September 1, 1998, the order of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine No. 22 provided for the creation of a biological faculty in Truskavets.
On September 4, 1998, Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical Institute received the status of a university in accordance with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 1382.
On September 1, 1999, the faculty of social studies and humanities was established in the town of Sambir in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine No. 413.
On November 24, 1999, by order of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine No. 397, the faculty of continuous education was established.
On June 13, 2004, according to the order of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine No. 457, the faculty of physics and mathematics was reorganized.
On May 12, 2009, the department of postgraduate studies was renamed as the department of doctoral and postgraduate studies.
In June 2010, Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University received the fourth level of accreditation from the Ministry of Education of Ukraine.
In 2019 the university had 4 institutes (Institute of Physics, Mathematics, Economics and Innovative Technologies; Institute of Foreign Languages; Institute of Musical Education; Institute of Physical Culture and Health), 5 faculties (Faculty of Linguistics; Faculty of History; Faculty of Elementary and Art Education) ; Faculty of Biology and Natural Sciences; Faculty of Psychology, Pedagogy and Social Work), Centre for Continuous Education and Pre-University Training, 42 departments with 582 teachers, including 63 doctors of sciences (54 professors), 337 candidates of sciences (250 associate professors) with the student body of more than 5,000 students (full-time/part-time education). The Choir Chapel “Gaudeamus” operated at the university.
On October 12, 2021, the second round of elections for the rector of the university took place at Drohobych University. Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, professor Valentiya Anatoliivna Bodak was elected rector.
In 2022, the university was reorganized. to five faculties.
