The University of Wollongong traces its origins to 1951 when a Division of the then New South Wales University of Technology was established in Wollongong. Ten years later the Division became the Wollongong College of the University of New South Wales and, in 1975, the University of Wollongong was incorporated by the New South Wales Parliament as an independent institution of higher learning. In 1982, the University amalgamated with the Wollongong Institute of Higher Education, which had begun life in 1962 as the Wollongong Teachers' College. The merger formed the basis for a period of rapid growth in the 1980s and the emergence of the University of Wollongong's distinctive identity as an enterprising institution with a personalized style and a growing reputation for excellence in teaching and research.

Thus, in over 50 years, the University has grown from a provincial feeder college with 300 students to an international university with over 18,000 students spread across three campuses and five access centres. Originally established as a provider of technical education for engineers and metallurgists required for the region's steel industry, the University now offers a wide range of courses across nine faculties - Arts, Education, Health & Behavioral Sciences, Engineering, Law, Science, Informatics, Commerce and Creative Arts. These faculties incorporate 40 teaching units with some 760 members of academic staff and 1,600 staff overall.
Since its foundation, the University has conferred more than 52,000 degrees, diplomas and certificates. Its student population, originally drawn predominantly from the local Ill awarra region, is now comprised of students from over 70 countries with international students accounting for more than 30 percent of total enrolments.

The University of Wollongong has developed into a multi-campus institution. The main Wollongong campus is on the original site five kilometers north-west of the city centre and now covers an area of 82.4 hectares with 94 permanent buildings including six student residences. The Dubai Campus in the United Arab Emirates was established in 1993 and the Shoal haven Campus was opened in 2000 at Nowra on the New South Wales South Coast. In addition, there are University Education Centres in Bega, Batemans Bay, Moss Vale and Loftus as well as the Sydney Business School. The University also offers courses in conjunction with partner institutions in a number of offshore locations including Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.