The university was established as the Camarines Sur Agricultural School in 1918 offering courses on modern farming, intermediate level exclusively for boys. In 1920, it became national school offering secondary curriculum and phasing out its intermediate level, then five years later, it was renamed Camarines Sur Agricultural High School, returning to its provincial status. 

It reacquired its national status on June 4, 1948 through the enactment of Republic Act 303. It was renamed Camarines Sur Regional Agricultural School in 1954 through R.A. 1089 and by virtue of CY 1960 General Appropriations Act, it was named as Camarines Sur Agricultural College mandated to perform trilogy of functions: instruction, research, and extension. 

CBSUA was the first seat of the Bicol Agricultural Resources Research Consortium (BARRC) being the regional research center and lead agency. This was made possible by virtue of a Memorandum of Agreement signed between CSSAC and the Philippine Council for Agricultural Resources Research and Development (PCCARD) in 1978. The College also partnered with EDPITAF for the implementation of the Agricultural Education Outreach Program (AEOP) in 1980. Through the program, CSSAC established Barangay Demonstration Laboratories (BDLs) in promoting modern farming technologies that enhanced productivity of the farmers. With such partnership, massive physical and manpower development was implemented improving the Research and Development capability of the college. Funding also flowed in from the World Bank, Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), Asian Development Bank and other national and international funding institutions through PCCARD.