Clarke International University (Formerly International Health Sciences University) was founded in 2005 by Dr. Ian Thomas Clarke with the aim of improving the training of human resources for health. The first school, the School of Nursing, was established in 2005 with 16 diploma students. The primary goal of the school was to rethink, refresh, and make a difference to the way new and professional nurses were being educated in Uganda. In March of 2008, the school received its provisional license to operate as a university and effectively expanded its programming to include baccalaureate education in Nursing, Public Health, Allied Health, and Continuing Healthcare training. In March 2018, the university rebranded to CIU, to allow for diversification of education programs beyond health sciences. Currently, in addition to the schools in the health sciences, CIU also offers programs in the School of Business and Applied Technology (SoBAT).