Pr. O.W. Lange, an American Missionary, established the North East Adventist University in 1941 at the present location. It was then called the Assam Training School. It was inaugurated in 1942 by Sir Robert Reid, the Governor of Assam. When Meghalaya attained statehood in 1972, the name was changed to Adventist Training School (ATS). It served the people of East India and the Northeast for many years as a secondary school. until it was upgraded to a Higher Secondary School in 1997, recognized by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE).

In 1999 this institution, which began as a small school yet with a dream, realized its dream by getting affiliated to the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU). It was then that the College got its name, Northeast Adventist College.

In 2019, the Meghalaya Act No.4, No.LL(B).23/2015/280 granted consent for the functioning of the University – The North East Adventist University (NEAU) is currently offering study courses in Humanities, Education, Management, Allied Health Sciences, and Technology. It is located on 90 acres of beautiful Pinewood rolling hills, seven kilometers away from Jowai town. The National Highway 44 passes just in front of the university, making it accessible from any part of the country.