The Asia Summer Program began through a shared sense of responsibility felt by the leaders of its five founding members: Bangkok University, Dongseo University, Josai University, Petra Christian University, and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.

They agreed that given the increasing importance of Asia, institutions of higher education should strive to foster awareness of Asia’s diversity and regional issues. They also agreed that the best way to accomplish this would be through direct experiences of foreign cultures and specially designed courses.

In 2013, the Asia Summer Program became affiliated with the Asian University Presidents Forum, the Secretariat of which is located at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. This affiliation helped the ASP expand its network of participating universities and attract students from across a broader range of countries.

Since its establishment, the Asia Summer Program has brought together over 1000 students from 18 countries. It has also been hosted in a different country each year.

In 2024, Dongseo will become the first university to host the ASP for a third time. Preparations are underway to make ASP 2024 truly outstanding.