[3][4] Like other Australian university regiments, upon formation AUR was established as an infantry unit providing military training to tertiary students.

[7] As interest started to grow, the regiment was authorised an establishment of 21 officers and 389 other ranks, however, actual numbers remained low initially.

In 1965, the regiment began to deliver part-time commissioning courses, while at the same time continuing to undertake its role as a "conventional rifle battalion",[14] remaining part of RA Inf.

[15] In 1982, AUR established depots at Prospect and St Marys in order to draw recruits from Flinders University.

[1] In 1991, the Australian Army underwent a Force Structure Review, the result of which was that AUR was reorganised to become solely focused upon the provision of training to Reserve officer cadets, under the banner of the Royal Military College of Australia.

[1] In 2008, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Division and tasked with the provision of commissioned officers to units from the 9th Brigade,[1] which sees them train personnel from South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

The band's original instruments, 16 sets of bagpipes, and its blue and white Napier kilts appeared in mysterious circumstances in mid-1949.

[20] In 2011, another former member of the AUR Pipes and Drums, Greg Bassani, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queens Birthday Honours list for his services to music.