The university was founded in 1982 by an Act passed by the State Legislature of Jammu and Kashmir. It was named after Kashmiri leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who is popularly known as Sher-e-Kashmir (Lion of Kashmir). The name given to the university was “Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology” (SKUAST).

Initially, the university had jurisdiction over the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir with its headquarters at Shalimar, Srinagar. When the SKUAST Act came in force, the agricultural education, research and extension training units were transferred to SKUAST from various development departments viz; Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Sheep Husbandry and Sericulture of Jammu and Kashmir State.

In 1998–99, the territorial jurisdiction of the university was redefined by amending the SKUAST Act 1982 under which a separate agricultural University was established for Jammu Division and named as Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-J) with its territorial jurisdiction extended to the entire Jammu Division. The parent University was renamed as Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K)