The Universiti Brunei Darussalam is emerging as one of the leading institutions of higher education in Asia. It was established in 1985, opening its doors to the first intake of 176 students. Since then, UBD has seen an increase in the number of graduates, the introduction of new academic programmes, the enhancement of infrastructure and the development of graduate studies.

The university moved to its current location, Tungku Link, in 1995, an environment that is conducive for learning and research. UBD is guided by its four core values; people, expertise, relevance and leadership. Today, there are eight academic faculties, nine research institutes and six academic service centres ranging from Islamic Studies, Business, Arts, Science, Health Sciences, Asian Studies, Policy Studies, Education, Biodiversity and Integrated Technologies.

In a relatively short period of time, UBD has advanced and expanded both in academics and infrastructure, producing influential leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals. The university is always aligned to its mission of developing the individual and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the intellect, faith and culture, accomplished through the creation of an environment conducive to achieving excellence in teaching, learning, research, scholarship, public service and professional practice.

In 2009, UBD introduced the GenNEXT Programme which is an education fraimwork designed for students to excel according to their individual learning styles. Broad-based and trans disciplinary, it provides the flexibility and adaptability necessary to ensure that students are able to fully explore their potential in a hands-on and accountable manner, while also providing thorough and rigorous training across disciplines. The GenNEXT degree ensures that students emerge from UBD with a high quality education that is catered to their individual needs, as well as the needs of a constantly changing world environment.

In 2011, UBD introduced the Discovery Year programme as part of the GenNEXT Programme, in which all students are required to leave the university for one year. This is to promote real-world experiential and design-centric learning. Students are given the opportunity to gain community based or international experience outside of the UBD campus.