[3] Founded by the Congregation of the Mission on 21 November 1856 as Our Lady of Angels Seminary, the school moved from Buffalo to its current location on May 1, 1857.

After 26 years on its new campus as The College and Seminary of Our Lady of Angels,[4] it changed its name to Niagara University on August 7, 1883.

All Niagara students complete a portion of their coursework in the College of Arts and Sciences, as numerous general education courses are housed within this unit.

[15] The college received a $10 million donation from Jeff and Mary Helen Holzschuh, both graduates of the university.

[20][21] Niagara University features five traditional residence halls, as well as six community houses called the Varsity Village and on-campus student apartments.

In addition to these, there are many clubs which celebrate and support cultural diversity, under the auspices of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The Niagara University Fine Arts Program has studio and classroom space in the Museum for students.

The Purple Eagles compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in all sports except ice hockey.

The men's basketball team won the MAAC Championship in 2005 and in 2007, earning automatic bids to the 2005 and 2007's NCAA tournaments, known colloquially as the "Big Dance".

Niagara's first appearance in the Dance came in 1970, when All-American Calvin Murphy led the Purple Eagles to the Sweet Sixteen.

During the 2019-2020 School Year, NU teams competed in Men's Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Rugby, Soccer and Volleyball at the club level.

Badminton, Roller Hockey, Running, and Tennis clubs have also been active on campus in prior years.

[23] The Athletics Department also operates the Kiernan Center – Niagara's on-campus fitness facility – and sponsors a comprehensive slate of intramural sports, including basketball, broomball, flag football, indoor soccer, softball, street hockey, and rugby union.