Unity University is the pioneer private higher education institution in Ethiopia. Since its establishment as a Language School in 1991, has made tremendous progress to become the first privately owned university in the country. The University became member of MIDROC Technology Group Companies in 2008, and stayed so up to 2020.

Unity University started its long march by delivering certificate programs. Initially, it was established as a language school, offering courses in English, Arabic, Italian and French. Later, that same year, preparatory classes were opened for the then Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination (E.S.L.C.E) in different subjects. Thus the year 1991 marks the beginning of the first phase in the history of Unity University; a milestone that paved the way for the establishment and subsequent rapid expansion of the University.

In fact, Unity Language School stared with few students and with a handful of part-time teachers and administrative workers. The School, however, grew rapidly over the next three years in many respects. The student population as well as the number of academic and administrative staff increased significantly. The coverage of the School also expanded through the addition of new courses; such as Certificate Program in Basic Law, in February 1993. In 1994, the Certificate Program in Basic Law was upgraded to a Diploma level.

In 1993, the School opened a new branch outside of Addis Ababa, in Adama town of Oromia Regional State. Currently, the Adama Campus offers MBA, BA and BSc Degree Programs in Business and Computational Sciences.Furthermore, Vocational Courses in Business Administration, Food and Beverage Services, and Front Office Clerking commenced in 1997. The name of the School was changed to “Unity Law, Language and Vocational Institute” in order to reflect the continuous dynamism and changes that took place.