At its opening in 1971, classes were held at the Mayflower Hotel in Atlantic City; the campus in Galloway Township began operating late in 1971.

By December 1971, occupancy of the first phase of the new campus construction took place, with the transfer of classes and offices to Galloway Township during the winter holiday period.

Rochelle Hendricks, New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education, approved Stockton's petition to become a university on February 13, 2015.

The addition was met with applause from local residents and community leaders, who hailed it as a redevelopment of the long-declining neighborhoods in Ward 5 of Atlantic City.

The campus budget was $178.28 million, is three stories tall and has an apartment-style complex for student living, called the Kessleman Hall.

[7] Richard E. Bjork led the college as it graduated its first classes, expanded programs and achieved accreditation in 1975, the year it completed Phase II of the campus.

Housing II, residential facilities for students, opened in November 1981 and the N-Wing College Center in February 1983.

He initiated the 2010 purchase of what is now Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, established the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism in the School of Business, and a collaborative agreement in 2011 with the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration to expand opportunities for students at both institutions in hospitality and tourism.

[16][17] He guided a major facilities expansion at the Galloway campus and strengthening the university's roots in Atlantic City, where he and other students took their first classes when Stockton opened in 1971.

[citation needed] In August 2010, as part of its expansion of its tourism and hotel management program in the School of Business, Stockton announced plans to purchase the nearby Seaview Resort & Golf Course.

[27] In December 2014, Stockton had purchased the shuttered Showboat Atlantic City hotel and casino for $18 million, with plans to develop a full-service residential campus awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees and other professional training programs.

[30] Soon after, it was publicly disclosed that Trump Entertainment Resorts held a covenant to the property, preventing the site from being used as anything other than a casino.

It was through this covenant that Trump Entertainment Resorts prevented Stockton's plans to open an Atlantic City campus on the Showboat property.

[31][32] The university reached a deal to lease the property from investor Glenn Straub, who planned to purchase the Showboat.

Additionally, courses are offered in emerging fields such as Computational Science, Tourism and Hospitality Management, and Homeland Security.

The Housing I, IV, & V apartment style complexes all vary in layout, furnishings, sizes, pricing, and student privacy.

Rooms in all residences are completely furnished and include beds, desks, bureaus, wastebaskets, lamps, telephones, air conditioning, carpeting, and curtains.

[40] Stockton is an environmentally friendly campus featuring a geothermal heat pump, fuel cells, and photovoltaic panels.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities provided a grant to cover most of the cost of the unit, with Stockton paying only $305,000.

In 2006, the F-Wing expansion, including classrooms, offices and an atrium received the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Stockton's commitment to environmentally responsible design has resulted in "green" initiatives that have both saved energy and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.

An aquifer thermal energy storage system (ATES), the first of its kind in the United States, began operation in 2008.

In 2008, Stockton approved an agreement with Marina Energy LLC for the installation of solar panels on The Big Blue athletic center roof to generate electricity.

To eliminate the possibility of groundwater contamination in the event of a leak, freeze protection is provided in the circulating fluid.

Sustainable design includes landscaping: upper-story deciduous trees were planted along the south-facing facades of the residence halls to provide shade during the summer months, but allow the warmth of the sun to reach the buildings during the winter.

Additional "green" features of the building include a storm water-collection system to irrigate an on-site "rain garden" landscaped with indigenous and adapted plant species.

In 2013, Stockton received approval from the New Jersey Pinelands Commission to administer the state's first comprehensive forest management plan on public land.

The Art Gallery is a dramatic two-level space with an open central well that visually connects the two floors.

The creative conversion and re-design of the gallery and L-Wing was completed by the architectural firm PS&S (Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor).

[53][54] The original Absecon site was sold and the museum currently has exhibits at Stockton's Kramer Hall in Hammonton, as well as the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City.