The Pangasinan State University was chartered through the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 1497 promulgated on June 11, 1978 and became operational on July 1, 1979.
The University integrated the collegiate courses of five DECS supervised institutions in the province and all the programs of the th en Central Luzon Teachers College (CLTC) and Western Pangasinan College of Agriculture (WPCA).
Institutionally speaking, there were only two institutions that were integrated into the University system, namely, the then Central Luzon Teachers College (CLTC) in Bayambang and western Pangasinan college of Agriculture in Infanta. For the other institutions namely, the Asingan School of Arts and Trades (ASAT) in Asingan, Eastern Pangasinan Agricultural College (EPAC) in Sta Maria, Pangasinan College of Fisheries (PCF) in Binmaley, Pangasinan School of Arts and Trades (PSAT) in Lingayen, and the Speaker Eugenio Perez National Agricultural School (SEPNAS) in san Carlos City, that were integrated into the system were their respective collegiate programs. These said schools are still operating under the administration and supervision of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Technical Education and skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Central Luzon Teachers College (CLTC) came into being first as the Bayambang Normal School in 1922. It offered then the secondary normal course which prepared much needed teachers for country. The school closed in 1935 due to inadequate funds but opened up in 1948 under a new name- Pangasinan Normal school, which offered the two year collegiate teacher education program. It was in 1952- 1953 that the college like any other regional normal school began offering the four-year bachelorโs degree program for elementary teachers.
In 1953, the normal school with the elementary schools in the District of Bautista and the Bayambang National High School were merged to become the Philippine UNESCO National Community Training Center. It operated as a school division in Pangasinan.
Republic Act 5707 converted school into a chartered institution, the then Central Luzon Teachers College on June 21, 1969. As provided in the charter of the college, the major functions of the institution are instruction, research and extension service.