The Université de Moncton was born because of recommendations made in 1962 by a Commission of Inquiry on Higher Education in New Brunswick chaired by John J. Deutsch.

In 1972, Collège Jésus-Marie in Shippagan was affiliated directly with the Université de Moncton and offered the first two years of the arts program.

Following recommendations made in 1975 by the Committee on Higher Education in the Francophone Sector in New Brunswick, chaired by Justice Louis A. LeBel, the Université de Moncton underwent a major reorganization.

Located in the north of the city, the Moncton Campus includes some twenty pavilions, the CEPS Louis-J.-Robichaud sports center, the J.-Louis-Lévesque arena, the Musée acadien, the Louise-et-Ruben-Cohen Art Gallery, and several residences and apartments to meet the needs of students (rooms, studios, and university apartments).

The Pavillon sportif d'Edmundston is located on the campus grounds and includes a swimming pool, a climbing wall, different gymnasiums and more.

It also has the Institut de recherche sur les zones côtières VALORĒS, and four university housing buildings.

The School of Forestry (École de foresterie) offers courses at the Edmundston Campus only, while the Sustainable development and Coastal Zone (Développement durable et zone côtière) and Information Management (Gestion de l'information) are only offered at the Shippagan Campus.

The Moncton Campus is also the home of the medical training program run by the Université de Sherbrooke.

The university is represented by men's and women's teams for hockey, soccer, athletics, and cross-country running.