The College of Arts is one of the first colleges established at Kuwait University in 1966. It embraced higher education programs aimed at meeting the developmental needs of modern civil society. The college is committed to academic excellence and public service, with its core mission being to enhance independent critical thinking skills, scientific methodology, and knowledge in students' minds, alongside fostering their sense of responsibility as members of a modern democratic society.

The College of Arts, initially offering a variety of disciplines, was established to address the diverse needs of the student community in arts, education, and sciences programs. In 1971, the science major separated to form an independent college known as the College of Science. Ten years later, in 1981, the College of Education became independent as well. 

The main programs offered by the College of Arts until 1998 included Arabic language and literature, English language and literature, history, philosophy, media, geography, psychology, sociology, and social work. In 1998, the College of Social Sciences was established, and the three programs in psychology, geography, sociology, and social service were transferred to the new college. Therefore, the College of Art provides five main departments, including Arabic language and literature, English language and literature, history, philosophy, and media. The Language Center has been affiliated with the Deanship of the College of Arts completely and awards a bachelor's degree in Arts and a Master's degree in selected programs. It intends to establish doctoral programs in some departments of the college in response to the policy of the senior university administration. The College of Art also recently included the Department of French Language and Cultures, which was opened in 2014/2015, it is a new addition to the College of Arts and offers a bachelor's degree.

The College of Arts currently offers 6 majors after the 2014/2015 year: Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Department of French Language and Literature, Department of History and Archeology, Department of English Language and Literature, Department of Philosophy, Department of Media.

In 2019, the College of Arts moved from its previous location in Kaifan to the Sabah Al-Salem University City in Al Shadadiya, with new buildings (a southern building and a northern building) equipped with large laboratories and studios.