As one of the first colleges established at Kuwait University in 1966, the College of Arts welcomed higher education programs designed to meet the developmental needs of the newly emerging civil society. The College is deeply committed to the standards of academic excellence and public service. Its core mission is to foster skills of independent critical thinking and scientific, cognitive methodologies within students, alongside cultivating their sense of responsibility as individuals in a modern, democratic society.
​Originally founded as a multidisciplinary institution, the College was designed to meet the diverse needs of the student body across programs in Arts, Education, and Science. In 1971, the Science discipline branched off to form a fully integrated, independent college known as the College of Science. A decade later, in 1981, the College of Education similarly became an independent entity.

Until 1998, the primary programs offered by the College of Arts included Arabic Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Mass Communication, Geography, Psychology, and Sociology & Social Work. In 1998, the College of Social Sciences was established, leading to the transfer of Geography, Psychology, and Sociology & Social Work to the new college. Consequently, the College of Arts offered five main departments: Arabic Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, and Mass Communication, alongside the Language Center, which was fully integrated under the administration of the Dean of the College of Arts. The College awards Bachelor of Arts degrees, as well as master’s degrees in selected programs.

In alignment with the policy of the university's central administration, the College intends to establish Doctoral (Ph.D.) programs in certain departments. Recently, the College of Arts introduced the Department of French Language and Cultures, which opened in the academic year 2014/2015 as a new addition awarding a bachelor’s degree. Following the 2014/2015 academic year, the College offers six major disciplines: the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, the Department of French Language and Literature, the Department of History and Archaeology, the Department of English Language and Literature, the Department of Philosophy, and the Department of Mass Communication.
[6/17/2026 11:47 AM] F M: ​In 2019, the College of Arts relocated from its former campus in Keifan to the Sabah Al-Salem University City in Shadadiya, moving into state-of-the-art facilities (South and North Buildings) equipped with spacious laboratories and studios.