Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergraduate students on a 140-acre (57 ha)[6] campus just outside of downtown Omaha.

[8] Edward's brother, John A. Creighton, is credited with fostering and sustaining the university's early growth and endowment.

Notable basketball players at the university were Paul Silas, Benoit Benjamin, Kyle Korver, and coach Greg McDermott's son Doug McDermott, while popular Bluejays coaches included Eddie Sutton, Willis Reed, and Dana Altman.

Jim Hendry, the former general manager of the Chicago Cubs, was Creighton's head coach for its 1991 CWS appearance.

Tara Oltman (2007–2010), the best pitcher in MVC history, was a three-time league Pitcher of the Year and finished her career with conference records for wins, innings pitched, starts, appearances, strikeouts, and complete games.

She remains the only student-athlete in Bluejays history to earn first-team all-conference honors in four consecutive seasons.

The largest number of alumni outside the United States reside in Canada, Japan, and Malaysia.