Dr. Charles Manske accepted the call from the district to be the founding president of the school, which was originally named Christ College Irvine.

[10] The campus rests on a 70-acre (28 ha) plateau overlooking Orange County[10] in a private residential community [citation needed] surrounded by wildlife[10] and hiking trails.

International Studies, Nursing programs, and the Masters in Coaching and Athletic Administration (MCAA) teams moved to an offsite location in Irvine.

The CUI women's water polo team competed in the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) until the 2022 spring season.

[15] Concordia University Irvine's code of conduct for students prohibits sexual intimacy for unmarried people, and defines marriage as heterosexual only.

[17] Concordia hosted the annual conference of Exodus International[18][19] until the organization was disbanded in 2013 because of the failure of conversion therapy to make people straight.

[20] In U.S. News & World Report's 2013 rankings of the best colleges in America, Concordia University Irvine is listed as 63rd in the Western region.