Puntland State University (PSU) was established in March 1999 as a tertiary college, Garowe School of Management (GSM) offering six months diploma courses in Management, Accountancy, English and Computer studies.

In addition to the diploma course, GSM also offered short vocational training courses, trainings, seminars and workshops. Some of these short courses included the UNOPS- One month training course for Puntland DRDD (Directorate of Reintegration, Demining and Demobilization).

PSU is offering Diploma and Certificate courses in Journalism through Distance Online Learning from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (USA) in liaison with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in which 24 of local journalists are receiving knowledge to work as professionals in community journalism.

PSU is a member of the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the African Universities network under the umbrella of African Virtual University (AVU).

The rapid growth of PSU to its present status is attributed to the support of all stakeholders who have tirelessly strived to see it become a living reality. The faculty staff, drawn from many nationalities have done excellent job in educating the ‘whole’. The Somali Diaspora, UNDP, Diakonia and other donors have provided not only the much needed financial aid but also technical advice for the running of the institution.