The forerunner of Unud was the Faculty of Literature at Udayana Airlangga University branch which was inaugurated by P. J. M. President of the Republic of Indonesia Ir. Soekarno, opened by J. M. Minister P.P and K. Prof. DR. Priyono on September 29, 1958 as written on the Inscription at the Nias Street Literature Faculty Denpasar.
Udayana University was legally established on August 17, 1962 and is the oldest public university in the province of Bali. Previously, since September 29, 1958 in Bali a Faculty named Literature Faculty of Udayana had been established as a branch of Airlangga University Surabaya. This Udayana Faculty of Literature is an embryo from the establishment of Udayana University. Based on the PTIPNo. Ministerial Decree No.104 / 1962, dated August 9, 1962, Udayana University was legally established on August 17, 1962. But because the birthdays of Udayana University fell together with the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia, the anniversary of Udayana University was changed to September 29 by taking the date of the inauguration of the Faculty of Literature which was established in 1958.