Kolej Universiti Yayasan Pelajaran Johor (KUYPJ) ialah institusi milik penuh Kerajaan Negeri Johor yang lahir daripada perjuangan kerajaan negeri untuk memartabatkan pendidikan anak bangsa, khususnya lepasan SPM yang tidak berpeluang melanjutkan pelajaran ke universiti. Penubuhannya berakar daripada usaha murni Kerajaan Negeri Johor untuk menyediakan ruang pendidikan di negeri sendiri bagi membuka peluang kepada generasi muda menimba ilmu di daerah tempat mereka tinggal.

It has become a big dream for the Johor State Government to turn this dream into reality. On 3rd March 1996, Ilham Ikhlas Sdn. Bhd. (fully owned by the Johor State Government) was established mainly to cater to the needs of academic and skilled programmes, the Johorean, under the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555).

Historically, Ilham Ikhlas Sdn. Bhd. was then named Kumpulan Pendidikan YPJ (KPYPJ) in 1997 to suit the purpose of the establishment. Kumpulan Pendidikan YPJ was organised into 4 main colleges with different areas of specialisation, under one umbrella of management.

These colleges were Kolej Islam Johor (KIJ), Institut Teknologi Perindustrian (ITP), Institut Hospitaliti YPJ (IHYPJ), and Kolej Teknologi Binaan (KTB). The colleges were situated in various locations in Johor Bahru. Apart from these, the new establishment also included 8 community colleges in 8 different districts of Johor which were Muar, Segamat, Johor Bahru, Mersing, Pontian, Batu Pahat, Kota Tinggi, and Kluang. 

Most of the earlier establishment of colleges were operated in government-owned buildings, including skilled programmes which were under Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat. In 2006, KTB YPJ was restructured under the internal of ITPYPJ. The restructuring and reorganisation of other colleges continued in which KIJ, ITP and IHYPJ were renamed as the School of Management & Social Studies (SPSS), School of Engineering and Creative Science (SKSK) and School of Hospitality and Tourism (SHP) respectively.

On 1st November 2015, a new historic moment was created in which KYPJ had its first operated building in the middle of the greenish palm oil farm, situated at Kilometer 17, Jalan Kota Tinggi - Kulai. All matters of management had been officially transferred from Yayasan Pelajaran Johor (YPJ) to the management of KPYPJ. The new campus KYPJ takes an area of 100 acres with a development cost of RM120 million, over a development period of 5 years from its first groundbreaking ceremony on 11th December 2010.