When it opened in 1899, NMU enrolled thirty-two students who were taught by six faculty members in rented rooms in Marquette city hall.

During this time, enrollment grew, due in large part to the 1957 opening of the Mackinac Bridge that links the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Graduate education began in March 1935 when courses at the master's degree level were offered in cooperation with the University of Michigan.

[36] NMU's Wildcats compete in the NCAA's Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in basketball, football, golf, cross country, soccer, volleyball, track & field, and swimming/diving.

[38] The winner of the annual football game between NMU and Michigan Tech is awarded the Miner's Cup.

The NMU-OTS provides secondary and post-secondary educational opportunities for athletes while offering world-class training.

The apartments are [42] NMU hosts a large number of student organizations which are governmental, academic, programming, social, religious, and athletic, as well as residence hall-related, in nature.

[43] Roughly 70 Cadets train to earn their commissions as United States Army Officers in both the Active Duty and Reserve components.

The university's first newspaper was The Northern News, which was shut down due to published articles throughout the 1960s that painted the school in an unflattering manner.

In 2015, a controversy arose between the school's administration and members of the North Wind staff, which reached federal court on claims of first amendment violations before the case was dismissed.

The weekly paper covers news from the university and community alike and prints on most Wednesdays during the school year.

[44] WUPX is Northern Michigan University's non-commercial, student run, radio station broadcasting at 91.5 FM.

WUPX provides NMU Students and the Marquette area with a wide variety of music, event announcements, and activities.