1845, the public Glasgow School of Government Design was established. 1853 was renamed "Glasgow Art Institute". The school was originally located at Ingram Street 12, and then moved to McLellan Gallery 1869. 1897, the main building of Renfrew Street started. Designed by local architect Charles Rennie McIntosh, the building belongs to a concise and powerful Art Nouveau style, and was selected by Francis Newbury, the president who supervised the expansion and reputation growth of the college at that time. The first part was completed in 1899, and the rest was completed in 1909. In 2009, the school held an international architectural competition in order to find an architectural design team to further carry out the overall planning and design of the first phase of campus construction. The first stage of construction is located in the main building opposite: the Macintosh Pavilion. At present, Forrest Pavilion, Party Hall and Nordbo Tower are located in. The winner of this competition is Steven Hall's new york architectural team [1], which cooperates with JM Architects in Glasgow.

The college has trained most top Scottish contemporary artists, including 30% Turner Prize nominations and two winners since 2005: simon starling in 2005 and richard wright in 2009.

The college's departments include photography, painting and printing, sculpture and environmental art, commercial design, engineering design, textile, silverware and jewelry, interior design, visual communication and architecture, which was founded by Thomas Joshua Cooper on 1982. This building is named after Charles Rennie McIntosh, the most famous alumnus and highly praised architect of Glasgow Art Institute.