In 1848, Carl Remigius Fresenius founded the Fresenius Chemical Laboratory in Wiesbaden's Kapellenstraße, which was dedicated to laboratory practice and the training of young scientists. In 1862, a separate training department was created, which provided the basis for the state examination for graduates until 1866. By the early 1870s, Fresenius was already giving lectures and practical microscopy exercises. As a member of the advisory commission, he made a significant contribution to the creation of the corresponding course of study in accordance with the Imperial Law of 14.05.1879. 30 years later, women took part in the course for the first time.

In 1931, the school received state recognition for the training of chemical technicians. In 1962, training and research were separated, an engineering course was introduced and the Gemeinnützige Chemieschule Fresenius Wiesbaden was founded as a teaching department. In 1965, the institution was recognized as an engineering school before the education center was accredited as a private Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in 1971.

Since then, graduate engineers specializing in chemistry have been trained there. In 1973, a training course for pharmaceutical-technical assistants was added. A practical semester was added to the diploma course in 1991. The following year, Fresenius opened branches in Dortmund and Herten, which were merged into the Fresenius Academy in September 1993.

In September 1995, the Wiesbaden era of what has been known as Fresenius University of Applied Sciences since 2008 came to an end with the move to Idstein