In 1963, TVI was authorized by the New Mexico Legislature and voters approved its creation in 1964 to "provide adults with skills necessary for success in the world of work." TVI was administered as part of the Albuquerque Public Schools system, and its governing board was was the Albuquerque Board of Education. Since 1979 a separate governing board has been elected by voters in the seven districts which TVI serves. These areas include all of Bernalillo County, New Mexico and part of Sandoval County, New Mexico.

The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredited TVI in 1978, and the New Mexico Legislature allowed the school to begin granting degrees in 1986. TVI had essentially become a community college.

In the late 1980s, liberal arts degrees were the most frequently awarded degree, and the University of New Mexico shifted its remedial courses to the purvue of TVI. TVI is the largest community college in the state of New Mexico and the second largest post-secondary educational institution in the state.