Interest in higher education has increasingly grown since1980 where the "Law of Higher Education" was issued and followed by the establishment of Higher Education Council (HEC) in 1982 to work on supervising institutions of higher education.

In 1985, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research was established and the Law of Higher Education No. (28) for the year 1985 was issued to set the goals of higher education, powers and responsibilities of both the Ministry and Higher Education Council and the relationship with institutions of higher education.

Thereafter, the Ministry of Higher Education was abolished and replaced by the Council of Higher Education by virtue of the Law of Higher Education No. (6) For the year 1998 which was issued after 13 years of the establishment of the Ministry, and under which all Jordanian community colleges were affiliated to Al-Balqa' Applied University.

After His Majesty King Abdullah II had assumed his constitutional powers, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research was re-established on the 21st of August 2001 by the Royal Decree, assuming the responsibility of supervising and having control over public and private higher education institutions, this is beside promoting the level of higher education in order to align and keep pace with developments witnessed by higher education sector in the world, humanitarian and environmental needs as well as expectations as a whole.