Since the late 18th century, the Department of Water Communications and the Expedition for Road Construction were responsible for the exploration, design, construction, reconstruction, and operation of communication routes in Russia. From 1801 to 1809, these agencies were headed by Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, a well-known statesman and diplomat. In 1809, he presented Emperor Alexander I with a document proposing improvements to the management system of communication routes and the establishment of a higher technical educational institution for training engineers.

Based on these proposals, on November 20, 1809, the Administration of Water and Land Communications was established, along with the Corps of Engineers of Communications and the Institute of the Corps of Engineers of Communications, now known as the Saint Petersburg State University of Communications. The Corps was responsible for construction and repairs, while the Institute trained engineering personnel.

The first rector of the Institute was Augustin Augustinovich Betancourt, a Spanish scientist and engineer. He received his education in Spain and France, where he attended lectures by renowned scholars. He began working in Russia in 1809 and formulated the goal of the Institute: to prepare engineers for work throughout the empire.

Betancourt utilized advanced European experience to organize the educational process at the Institute, including the experience of his teachers and his own developments. The first building of the Institute was located in the palace of Prince N. B. Yusupov, and its grand opening took place on November 1, 1810.

Initially, the Institute was a civil educational institution with a four-year training period. In December 1823, it was transformed into a closed educational institution with military disciplines, but in 1864 it became civil again. In the 1830s, with the advent of railroads, relevant sections were included in the curriculum.

Natural sciences were developed at the Institute, and outstanding scholars taught there. By the mid-19th century, the Institute had become one of the largest educational institutions in Russia, where the system of engineering and construction education was formed.

In 1864, the Institute was declared a civil higher educational institution with a five-year training period. In the early 20th century, with the development of new types of transport, corresponding faculties and departments appeared at the Institute.

In the 1930s, significant structural changes occurred, and several independent educational institutions were created based on the Institute. After reorganization, the Institute began training specialists for railway transport and was renamed the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Institute continued to develop, new faculties and specialties were created, and the educational process was improved. In 1993, the Institute was granted university status and a new name, the Saint Petersburg State University of Communications.

Currently, the university is headed by Candidate of Economic Sciences A. Yu. Panychiev, and the educational work is managed by Doctor of Technical Sciences L. S. Blazhko.