Spring Arbor University has developed in the late 20th century from a seminary founded in 1873 by leaders of the Free Methodist Church, particularly Edward Payson Hart.

In 1981, Spring Arbor began offering the first of its degree completion programs for adult learners in nearby Jackson.

Throughout its history, the Spring Arbor Faculty and students have been dedicated to "the serious study of the liberal arts, commitment to Jesus Christ as a perspective for learning and participation in the campus community and the contemporary world.

"SAU offers over 70 majors and programs[6] at the undergraduate level at its main campus in Spring Arbor, Michigan.

degree completion program in Family Life Education on the campus of Spring Arbor University leading to certification for professionals as Certified Family Life Educators (CFLE)[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] In 2020, the university terminated the contracts of 11 faculty, including several tenured faculty.

With a strong emphasis on spiritual life, Spring Arbor University requires that all students attend a chapel service on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:05 am.

This service includes student-led worship and speakers are pastors, entrepreneurs, professors and missionaries, handpicked by the Chaplain to bring their message to the SAU community.

Spring Arbor University has faced numerous accusations of discrimination against LGBTQ students and faculty members.

[24] In the fall of 2017, a speaker at SAU's twice-weekly chapel service was met with applause after placing LGBTQ people in the same category as drug addicts and murderers.

[25]" In 2018, Dr. Everett Piper (an alumnus, former SAU administrator, and former president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University) posted what the New York Times referred to as "a long, vitriolic response to stories in The Pulse, a student news source at his alma mater, Spring Arbor University in Michigan, in which gay students were seeking affirmation and conversation.

[26]" The SAU student handbook currently prohibits "same-sex dating behaviors," and states that those who violate this community standard will be offered "counsel and support to encourage students towards living lives consistent with the biblical teaching on sexuality," and may also be subject to suspension or dismissal.

[27] It also states that students' clothing must be "gender-appropriate" and that the university "will not support persistent or conspicuous expressions or actions that are deliberately discordant with birth gender.

[28]" SAU was granted a Title IX exemption in 2014, allowing the university to discriminate on religious grounds, which it still holds today.

They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Midwest Region of the Division I level.