学校创办于1947年秋，初址在文昌孔庙，名为文昌子文简易师范学校。1950年4月，文昌人民政府接管学校，同年8月更名为“文昌县立师范学校”；1951年春改称为“文昌师范学校”；1957年更名为“广东文昌师范学校”；1961年6月迁址文昌文教宋六坡部队营房续办，1968年因“文革”解散停办，1970年借用文昌侨中校舍复办，1981年迁到现址。海南建省后，1988年5月改为“海南文昌师范学校”；1993年9月改为“海南外国语师范学校”；2003年6月升格为“海南外国语职业学院”，2004年3月28日挂牌。

Founded in 1947, the college was at first named Wenchang Ziwen Facility Normal School located in Wenchang Confucius Temple. In April 1950, the school was taken over by Wenchang government and renamed Wenchang County Normal School. In the spring of 1951, it was renamed "Wenchang Normal School". In 1957 the school was named "Wenchang Normal School of Guangdong" under the administration of Guangdong Province. In 1961, the school moved to Songliu which used to be the old army barracks in Wenchang. In 1968, the school was closed down and it stopped recruiting students due to the "Great Cultural Revolution". In 1970, the school resumed the admission by using temporarily the school buildings of Wenchang Overseas Chinese Middle School. In 1981, the school moved to its present location, and in 1988, it was named "Wenchang Normal School of Hainan" with the establishment of Hainan Province. In 1993 the school was renamed "Hainan Foreign Languages Normal School". In June 2003, approved by Hainan Provincial Government, the school was upgraded to "Hainan Foreign Language College of Professional Education". On March 28, 2004, the college was officially established and began to enroll students from all over the country, and is now named "Hainan College of Foreign Studies".