The university originated in the founding of North Park Theological Seminary in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church in Minneapolis.

[8] In 1894, the school moved to Chicago and opened as North Park College,[9] to its present location at the corner of Foster and Kedzie.

[10] Struggles and success marked the early years of North Park; enrollment and funding fluctuated significantly.

When he made a small fortune during the gold rush, he donated a significant portion of the windfall to North Park.

[11] Though North Park still holds on to its Swedish American past and close ties with the Evangelical Covenant Church, it is now an intercultural institution focused on diversity.

Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on number out of 365 graduates in 2022, were:[17] The North Park athletic teams are called the Vikings.

The university is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) since the 1962–63 academic year.

In the 2022–23 season, North Park advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen under first-year and current head coach Sean Smith, going 24-6 (13-3 in CCIW Conference play).

North Park men's soccer ended their 2017 season with a record of 20-2-2, finishing runner-up for the National Championship title.

North Park's baseball team is the six-time CCIW regular season champions, most recently winning in 2012.

[23] The Johnson Center is a state-of-the-art addition to North Park University's science programs and is home to 1891 Bread Co.

Equipped with 30 science laboratories, the building is a space for student and faculty research, "smart" technology in every classroom, and several conference rooms.