Established in 1985, Caritas Francis Hsu College had been offering advanced level courses and two-year Accounting, Computing and Management diploma programmes in the initial years of its operation until 1990, when it was granted the approval by the Hong Kong Government to provide post-secondary education. To meet the manpower demand in a number of the popular professions at the time, the College had since been providing four three-year-Professional Diploma programmes, in Accounting Studies, Company Secretaryship and Administration, Computing Studies, and Translation and Interpretation. The four programmes were subsequently modified to become the four-year-Higher Diploma programmes in 1998. This initiative was to comply with the course duration requirement of the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (CAP. 320) under which the college sought official registration as a post-secondary College. The College was eventually accorded the registration status as an Approved Post Secondary College on 8 August 2001, and its four Higher Diploma programmes were validated and accredited as comparable in standard and standing with those offered by its local and overseas counterparts.

In 2002-03, the College began to widen its academic provision and launched two Associate Degree programmes, Business Information Systems and Marketing and Tourism Management. The expansion also launched three Daytime Top-up Bachelor's Degree programmes, in the areas of Accounting, Computing and Business Administration and Management, in collaboration with overseas tertiary institutions.

In 1990, the College obtained the Hong Kong Government's approval to provide three-year post secondary diploma programmes, and began to offer four Professional Diploma programmes. The four programmes were in the areas of Accounting Studies, Company Secretaryship and Administration, Computing Studies, and Translation and Interpretation. They were chosen largely because of the likelihood of procuring recognition from professional bodies, and because of a great demand for manpower in the corresponding professions.

In 1997, for continuous development purposes, the College formally applied for official registration as a post secondary college under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (CAP 320). To comply with the course duration requirement of the said Ordinance, the programmes were hence modified to become four-year Higher Diploma programmes, which were launched in the 1998-99 academic year.

The registration of the College as an Approved Post Secondary College on 8 August 2001 is the first of its kind being sanctioned by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government since the reversion of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China. Its four programmes are taken to be comparable in standard and standing with those offered by local and overseas tertiary institutions and merit the award of the Higher Diploma.

From the start of the 2002-03 academic year, the College is offering four Associate Degree programmes, including Financial Studies, Tourism and Marketing Management, Business Information Systems and Bilingual Business Communication. In addition, the College, in collaboration with its overseas partners, is providing one-year Daytime Top-up Bachelor's Degree programmes. In the long run, the College anticipates strengthening its academic structure and rigour and aims for further development in the direction of a constituent college of a Catholic university.