Detroit Business Institute-Downriver was established in 1976 as a branch campus of Detroit Business Institute, whose roots trace back to 1850, making it one of Michigan’s oldest career training institutions. In 1983, the school was awarded accreditation as a free-standing institution by the Accrediting Commission for Independent Colleges and Schools. By 1990, Detroit Business Institute-Downriver became fully independent when it was purchased by Votech Educational Systems, Inc., and officially renamed Detroit Business Institute-Downriver (DBI-Downriver).
For decades, the school operated at the corner of Fort and Sibley in the Riverview Commons Shopping Center in Riverview, Michigan. In 2025, DBI proudly returned to the City of Detroit, moving into its new campus at 22400 W. 7 Mile Road, between Redfern and McIntyre Streets. The building, designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the world-renowned architect behind the original World Trade Center in New York, stands as both a historic and architectural landmark. Renovated to provide a modern, well-lit, and welcoming environment, the campus reflects DBI’s enduring history and its forward-looking mission to prepare students for success.
Detroit Business Institute, with origins dating back to 1850, has maintained a continuous tradition of vocational education and, since 2017, has been accredited as a non-degree granting institution by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).