20th century (1994–2000) In its early years of establishment, UMS operated from temporary borrowed facilities with the university's teaching and learning activities conducted at the Sabah Foundation Community College premises in Likas in 1995 and the Menggatal
Telekom Training College in 1996. The initial UMS enrolment in 1995 was 205 students at undergraduate study level. From June 1999 to May 2000, UMS shifted in phases to its permanent campus at Sepanggar Bay. In January 1999, the university expanded its academic reach to the Federal Territory of Labuan with the establishment of the UMS Labuan International Campus (, abbreviated as UMSKAL). In the beginning, study programmes were offered by three schools – the School of Science and Technology, School of Business and Economics and School of Social Sciences – and the Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, a liberal studies centre.
21st century (2001–present) The number was subsequently expanded to include nine additional schools at the Kota Kinabalu campus namely the School of Engineering and Information Technology, School of Food Science and Nutrition, School of International Tropical Forestry, School of Education and Social Development, School of Psychology and Social Works, and School of Arts Studies. In
F.T. Labuan, programmes were offered through the Labuan School of Informatics Science and School of Business and International Finance. By 2002, UMS had established 11 programmes of study. In 2003, the number of schools was increased to 12 upon the setting up of the School of Medicine. This was followed by the establishment of the School of Sustainable Agriculture in 2006 which subsequently relocated five years later in 2011 to the UMS Sandakan Campus, its current location. Other notable initiatives were the establishment of Preparatory Centre for Science and Technology (PPST) in 2010 offering Foundation in Science Programme for
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia high school graduates. PPST began accepting students for its first intake in May 2010 and originally placed under the supervision of the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources until 2013. The launching of the UMS Hospital (HUMS) building project targeted for completion estimated in December 2025. The hospital equipped with 400 beds, 25 operating rooms, 40 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, and 145 specialist clinics.
2024 Water Supply Protests On 14 June 2024, around 80 students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) led by
Suara Mahasiswa UMS organized a protest,
Kami Mahu Air ("We Want Water") to highlight ongoing
water shortage crisis on campus, which they attributed to administrative negligence and possible
corruption within the state government. Sabah Chief Minister
Hajiji Noor responded by stating that the situation differed from reports by the Sabah Water Department but assured that the state government would investigate, while Deputy Chief Minister
Shahelmey Yahya described the protest as "immature.".
2024 Perhimpunan Aman Gempur Rasuah Sabah ("Peaceful Rally Against Corruption in Sabah") On 31 December 2024,
Suara Mahasiswa, a campus-political student movement from UMS, organized
Perhimpunan Aman Gempur Rasuah Sabah ("Peaceful Rally Against Corruption in Sabah") in front of
Kinabalu Tower. The rally was held to protest against corruption and abuse of power in the state government. Among
Suara Mahasiswa UMS demands were the resignation of
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and a rejection of the appointment of Tun
Musa Aman as
Yang di-Pertua Negeri due to past
corruption allegations. The organizers stated that the movement was non-partisan and urged the public to join in advocating for transparency, accountability, and democratic governance. The group also condemned a counter-rally titled
Kami Bersama Hajiji ("We Be With Hajiji"), held at the same time and location, as a provocation intended to distract from the
anti-corruption cause.
2025 Perhimpunan Aman Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 ("Peaceful Rally Against Corruption in Sabah 2.0") during
Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0, anti-corruption rally On 21–22 June 2025,
Suara Mahasiswa UMS organized
Perhimpunan Aman Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0, a student-led
anti-corruption rally that began at
Suria Sabah and ended with a sit-in at Lintasan Deasoka in Kota Kinabalu. The rally drew around 100 participants and called for improved governance and action on issues such as corruption and
water shortages affecting UMS. A controversial moment occurred when students burned a
caricature of
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, prompting public backlash and police investigations under several laws including the Sedition Act. UMS announced possible disciplinary action against 13 students, with two identified as directly involved in the burning, which the university strongly condemned. In response to criticism, some students defended their actions in
Instagram and
TikTok as symbolic protest, referencing similar acts by
Anwar during his own student activism in the 1970s. Prime Minister
Anwar Ibrahim later urged UMS not to expel the students involved in the rally, emphasizing that students' future and opportunity to complete their studies should be prioritized. The message was conveyed by Higher Education Minister
Zambry Abdul Kadir acknowledging the right to assemble is protected under the
Malaysian Constitution but should be exercised within the framework of existing laws and university regulations. == Academic ==