On September 12, 1874, a teacher seminary opened in Penza, a secondary vocational educational institution for training teachers of primary schools under the Ministry of Public Education.

The first director of the seminary was Vladimir Kharlampievich Khokhryakov, a well-known educator, local historian, and public figure from Penza, who led the seminary until 1885.

Initially, the seminary did not have its own building and was located in rented premises. In 1879, by Imperial decree, a plot of land was allocated to it opposite the zemstvo hospital, and in 1889, the construction of a three-story building on this site began. In August 1891, the seminary classes moved to the new building, which also housed the director's apartment.

In 1895, a boarding house was opened, and on October 15 of the same year, the house church in the name of St. John Chrysostom was consecrated, which was not included in the project but was established at the initiative of the third director of the seminary, I.E. Belikov. A separate wing was built for the teachers, and a large fruit orchard located nearby was transferred to the seminary.

By the 25th anniversary of the seminary's existence, it was noted that during this time, 327 people had graduated. In total, before the revolution, the seminary trained 800 teachers.

In 1939, the buildings of the former teacher seminary housed the Penza Teacher Institute with a two-year training period, which graduated teachers for grades 5 and 7.

On June 5, 1941, it was transformed into the Penza State Pedagogical Institute, which opened on September 1 of the same year.

On December 9, 1994, the institute was named Penza State Pedagogical University named after V.G. Belinsky.