Founded as a school for Quakers in 1891,[1] it is now the largest private university[6] in Oregon with more than 4,000 students combined between its main campus in Newberg, its centers in Portland and Redmond, and online.

[8] The Bruin mascot comes from a real bear cub found in 1887 in the Coast Range's foothills near Carlton, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Newberg.

[15] With more than 4,000 students in Newberg, Portland, and other Oregon teaching sites, George Fox is now the state's largest private university.

The university participates in the Richter Scholars program, which sponsors 15 to 25 students each year in encouragement of original research.

[22] The university is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Northwest Conference (NWC) since the 1995–96 academic year.

[24] The Bruins previously competed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1993–94 to 1994–95.

Women compete in basketball, cross country, eSports, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball, and Stunt.

In 2004, the baseball team won the NCAA Division III national championship, a game recognized as one of the top 50 moments in Northwest Sports History by Portland radio station KFXX AM 1080, "The Fan.

"[25][26] In 2009, the school's women's basketball team went undefeated (32–0) and capped the season with a 60–53 defeat of Washington University in St. Louis in the title game.

[26] In winning, George Fox claimed the first Division III national women's championship for any program west of the Rocky Mountains.

[33] Hundreds of students each year participate in Winter and Spring "Serve trips" throughout the Western United States, Mexico, and Canada.

In groups of 10–25, students give a week of either break to provide volunteer labor for missions, homeless shelters, nonprofits, and other charitable causes.