Although founders initially called the institution Georgia Baptist Female Seminary, it has never been affiliated with or governed by any religious organization.

In 1900, H. J. Pearce purchased the institution and renamed it Brenau, a linguistic blend formed from the German word brennen, "to burn", and the Latin aurum, "gold".

Brenau offered its first online programs in 2002 to meet needs of students who, because of professional or personal responsibilities, were unable to attend classes on campus.

The mission of the university is reflected in the strong emphasis on the broad-based liberal arts education supporting its 50-plus areas of study.

At the beginning of the 21st century, following the first decade of operations as a master's level university, graduate programs at Brenau represented a small percentage of the student body.

A year earlier Brenau launched its first terminal degree program, a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design.

Brenau Academy was formed in 1928 when Pearce told his wife that some of the first-year college students were having trouble with their course work.

Brenau offers doctoral, master's, specialist, bachelor's and associate degrees, as well as professional certifications, in more than 50 areas of study.

The initial mission of the online studies program was to serve students who may be working, traveling, disabled, geographically isolated from institutions of higher education, or homebound while caring for children or other family members.

The first cohort of 18 students from ANU arrived at Brenau in 2016 as juniors in the early childhood teacher education program and graduated in 2018 with degrees from both institutions.

The sorority chapters active on campus and their founding dates are: The Brenau athletic teams are called the Golden Tigers.

Beginning with Lochstampfor's tenure, and credited to the support of Brenau President Ed Schrader, the university's athletic program would more than triple over the next 15 years.

In 2017, the Golden Tigers softball team played its inaugural season at Ernest Ledford Grindle Athletics Park, the first of its kind for the university.

Brenau's 57-acre main campus is located in Gainesville, Georgia, approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Brenau University maintains day, evening, weekend and online programs at the main campus in Gainesville, and in Norcross, Georgia.

[9] Until 1985, when John S. Burd became president of the university, Brenau lacked a designated art gallery; student and faculty work was displayed in various buildings across the campus.

Highlights include early oil paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne; watercolors by Eugène Delacroix; artifacts from the pre-Columbian period of American history; an oil painting by Anna Elizabeth Klumpke; sculptures by Jean Arp, Maria Artemis, Clyde Connell, and William King; a gouache by Amelia Peláez; and one of the largest collections of prints anywhere by Jasper Johns.

In 1990, Brenau's neoclassical library building, originally built in 1914, was redesigned to house the Simmons Visual Arts Center.

The works of Benny Andrews, Beverly Buchanan, Lamar Dodd, Nancy Graves, William King, Roy Lichtenstein, Marisol, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Donald Saff, Frank Stella, and Neil Welliver have appeared in the university's galleries.

Brenau University houses the Eleanor Dare Stones, the curious and controversial collection that purports to shed light on the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

The installation features work by artists who have some connection to the New York art world that has generously supported Brenau University over the years.

Other notable artists represented include Kiki Smith, Hunt Slonem, Margaret Evangeline and Dennis Campay.

Many of the artists in the Manhattan Gallery played major roles in the movements that made New York City the cultural destination that it is today.

Helen Keller, Will Durant, Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Dennis, Martin Luther King Sr., Letitia Baldrige, Roberta Peters, Williams Warwick, Dan Rather, Jane Fonda and Maria von Trapp, Sally Ride, Dennis Weaver, Mary Matalin and James Carville, Rory Kennedy, and Khaled Hosseini all have spoken or performed in Pearce.

The Arts Council has welcomed additional guests in recent years as part of its Pearce Series, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Opera, the Joffery II Ballet, the Vienna Boys Choir, Ramsey Lewis, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Mann, Chuck Mangione, Steve Allen, and Loretta Switt.

The turning point came in 1995 when Brenau University President John Burd committed a tract of campus property for the History Museum, the White Path Cabin, and a blacksmith shop donated by Hoyt Herrin.

Volunteers started soliciting the community for contributions and, after some years of stop and go, architectural plans were finally completed and all stood in readiness for its grand opening, held in May 2004.

The Brenau University Learning and Leisure Institute offers non-credit classes for mature adults looking to stimulate their thinking and expand their knowledge.