UTI was founded in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1965, with an automotive curriculum. Over the past five decades, the campus has grown from 11 students and a single building to a modern training facility that accommodates the Automotive Technology II and Diesel Technology II training programs. In 2004, the campus relocated to a new 282,000 square-foot facility in Avondale, Arizona.
Through the years, in a continuing effort to match student skills with the needs of the industry, UTI has developed and expanded with additional curriculum and campuses. In 2003, UTI became a public company through a successful initial public offering of its common stock.
In 2004, the Orlando campus was approved to offer Automotive Technology training. Diesel Technology training was added
in 2015.
In 2005, Universal Technical Institute of Northern California, Inc., opened in Sacramento, California.
In 2009, UTI established a campus in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. This location is designed to utilize a more compact space and primarily service the residents of the greater Dallas area. This campus is the first campus in the UTI family to provide all of its programs utilizing a blend of face to face and online modalities.
The campus in Rancho Cucamonga opened in 1998. In 2004, that campus relocated to a new, larger facility.
In 2015, UTI established a campus in Long Beach, California.
UTI opened the doors to its Bloomfield, New Jersey, campus in 2018.
In 2022, UTI opened its second Florida location located in Miramar, FL, and its third Texas location in Austin, TX.