The predecessor to the current university was first established in 1902 as the Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School by William Bell Riley, a pastor at First Baptist Church of Minneapolis.

[2] The school closed from 1966 to 1972 after failing to earn accreditation from the North Central Association, although it was eventually able to reopen after the purchase of the former Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the sale of its former campus in Loring Park.

UNW also owns a chain of radio stations across the Midwest and Eastern United States, broadcasting listener-supported Christian music and teaching programs.

[11] In February 1949, the Northwestern Schools opened KTIS AM and KTIS-FM in the Twin Cities area, the first in a series of radio stations across the Upper Midwest.

In 2015 two University of Northwestern – St. Paul teams advanced to NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in men's basketball and women's volleyball.

The University of Northwestern – St. Paul became the first college football team in modern history to play two games on the same day.

[13] University of Northwestern – St. Paul athletic and recreation facilities [14] consist of the Ericksen Center (1996) (volleyball, men's and women's basketball) and the Reynolds Field complex (2014), which houses the Johnson Tennis Complex and 100 percent artificially turfed fields for baseball, softball, football, soccer and lacrosse.

The outdoor facility also offers a running and jumping pit for track and field participants, a stadium, and four locker rooms.