Nine founding faculty members held their first day of classes in the Redlands Baptist Church on September 30, 1909, with 39 students attending.

Now-university president Field was charged with further securing $200,000 for endowment, but the 1912 United States cold wave, which wiped out half the California citrus crop and severely damaged the local economy, made this impossible.

The southern California Baptist community initiated a campaign to raise $50,000 to clear outstanding debt.

The following spring the Northern Baptist Education Board endorsed the school, promising to help raise an endowment.

Finances had improved to the extent that, with significant volunteer help, the university was able to erect 12 new buildings by the end of the decade.

Enrollment soared, as there was no work to be found, but student indebtedness also increased exponentially, as well as the amount the university owed banks.

The administration of the university's third president, Clarence Howe Thurber,[8] soon ran afoul of ultra-conservative churches.

The later affair of William H. Roberts, a psychology professor who became the campaign manager of Upton Sinclair's run for governor in 1934, also severely strained town and gown relations.

The 1940s brought many changes to the University of Redlands particularly with the onset of direct U.S. involvement in World War II.

As conscription and enlistments for the war depleted classes, courses were set up for the soldiers at Camp Haan and March Field.

Military men were not required to attend chapel, and on New Year's Eve the Marines clandestinely held the first impromptu dance ever on the campus.

By special action of Congress, housing units for 50 veterans' families ("Vets' Village") were installed on campus.

During this period, the university opened the 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m2) Center for the Arts, and renovated the Armacost Library, adding five computer laboratories and a café.

Dr. Dorsey resigned his position on March 16, 2010, amid controversy over budget deficits and proposed cuts.

Today, about 200[27] Redlands students live and learn together in the Johnston complex, which includes two residence halls and five faculty offices.

Students design their own majors in consultation with faculty and write contracts for their courses, for which they receive narrative evaluations in lieu of traditional grades.

[35] Founded in 1976 as the Alfred North Whitehead College for Lifelong Learning, the School of Business[36] began as an experiment in providing educational services to working adults in locations throughout Southern California.

Geared primarily to the working professional, the School also partners with the College of Arts and Sciences to offer undergraduates a chance to earn their teaching credential.

), the university's only doctoral program,[44] is grounded in theories of social justice and a commitment to ensuring equity for students from all backgrounds.

[49] The Johnston Center for Integrative Studies offers customized degree programs for undergraduates, based upon a contract system and narrative evaluations.

[50] Redlands competes in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC),[51] which operates within NCAA Division III.

[53] The men's teams include: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swim and dive, tennis, track and field, and water polo.

The women's teams include: basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swim and dive, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo.

[56] In 2018, the university embarked on a $20 million campaign for Bulldog Athletics to create a new home for the program on Brockton Avenue, build a new tennis complex, and revitalize the Currier Gymnasium.

[67] Diversity-based organizations on the University of Redlands campus include: Due to its location in the Greater Los Angeles Area, The University of Redlands campus has been used as the setting for films such as Goodbye My Fancy, with Joan Crawford and Robert Young, Hell Night, Joy Ride, Slackers, and The Rules of Attraction.

The campus was also used for the Korean drama The Heirs, where Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) attends during his exile in America.