In the early 1970’s, the lack of manpower to take care of 4 million disabled Filipinos was staggering. There were less than 50 qualified licensed Physical Therapists in the country, out of an estimated need for at least 3000. To address this need, The UST Institute of Physical Therapy opened its doors in June 1974 to applicants for the program of Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. At that time, the first two years of the 4-year baccalaureate degree fell under the College of Science while the last two years were administered under the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. The first batch of 14 students graduated in 1977.

By March of 1987, the school was granted a semi-autonomous status academically while still functioning administratively under the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. It exercised full control of the revised 5-year curriculum that was initiated in school year 1988-89. In December 15, 1993, the school was granted full autonomy academically and administratively by then Rector, The Very Reverend Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, O.P. The head of the Institute was likewise elevated from being a Director to a Dean.

In fulfillment of its commitment to develop highly competent allied rehabilitation professionals, the degree of B.S. in Occupational Therapy was also offered in June 1996. In the summer of 1999, the Certificate Course in Athletic Training was offered. This post-graduate certificate course is an intensive 8-week seminar workshop that aims to spur the professionalization of sports science in the country.

By 1999, foregrounding the growing demand of rehabilitation sciences in the allied health profession, the Institute of Physical Therapy has been renamed College of Physical Therapy and by 2001, to College of Rehabilitation Sciences, as the school also offered a new academic program, B.S. in Sports Science. In the same year, the Master of Science in Physical Therapy program was initiated in collaboration with the UST Graduate School and the University of South Australia as a ‘Training the Trainer’ program.  Twelve faculty members of the College were the first enrollees to this program.  Two years later in 2003, it was offered to graduates from other schools.

On February 21, 2003, the Center for Research on Movement Science was established within the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex. In 2010, it was renamed Center for Health Research and Movement Science to better reflect its role as the research arm of the college.

Responsive to its commitment to responding to the healthcare needs of society, the College once again endeavored on a new program in June 2009 – the BS Speech-Language Pathology.  Together with the other established programs, the latest program offering, truly makes the College holistic in its provision of quality education in the field of rehabilitation sciences.

The College has grown tremendously for the past forty years. Presently the entire student population approximates 1,400, about one hundred times more than the original number of enrollees. The facilities of the school are by far the most sophisticated in the country and are at the par with those found abroad.