Father Saturnino Urios University was christened Butuan Parochial School on October 21, 1901, by Reverend Father Saturnino Urios, S.J. It began as a boys' school which later gained government recognition in 1927 as an elementary school. It was, at first, a two-storey building made of bricks, adjacent to the old church.

The school changed its identity on several occasions over the next 50 years under the management of the Dutch Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC). In 1939, the Butuan Parochial School opened its high school department and renamed itself to Father Urios High School, after the school's founder who had died 23 years prior. With the opening of the college department in 1950, it was renamed to Father Urios College,
simplified in 1970 as Urios College.

The Filipinization of schools under the 1972 Philippine Constitution gave way to the diocesan administration of Urios College. Its first and longest-staying lay president, Juanito A. Lao Ph.D., was then installed in 1976. From 1970-2004, Urios College served the community, contributing immensely to the spiritual, intellectual, cultural, political, social, and moral development of the people of Caraga.lt was during these years that the school realized its motto: "Luceat Lux Vestra"- Let Your Light Shine.

Urios College has taken a drastic turn since Rev. Fr. John Christian U. Young took its helm as President in 2004. At that time, the school's facilities had been worn and torn; Butuanons of today recall how the school seemed to have lost its flare. Under Fr. Young's leadership and example, however, Urios College reorganized its operations and rekindled its commitment to academic excellence and quality education. On July 10,
2006, after a strong showing from the entire Urian community, Urios College elevated its typology into a university-the first homegrown university in Caraga. 

From handling a few pupils in a non-graded, catechism school, what was once Butuan Parochial School is now Father Saturnino Urios University, or FSUU. It offers the full K to 12 program; tertiary courses in accountancy, business and management, computer science, engineering and technology, information technology, nursing, arts and sciences, criminology, and teacher education.

FSUU also has its own College of Law and its Graduate Studies and Research Office (GSRO). The GSRO offers Masters in Nursing, Educational Management, Guidance and Counseling, Teaching Filipino, Teaching English, Teaching General Science, Teaching Special Education, Master of Science in Physical Education, Master of Science in Teaching Math, Master in Public Administration and Master in Business Administration,
Doctoral in Management, and Doctor of Philosophy in Education. Most of FSUU's academic programs are accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU).

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