[9] The university's origins date back to the Mechanics Institute, founded in 1832, formed in response to the need in the city for workers with skills relevant to the workplace.

Research Unit in Yugoslav Studies at Bradford was established already in 1965 with significant involvement of British geographer Frederick Bernard Singleton.

[12] After her exile from South Africa AnnMarie Wolpe gained a post at the Bradford Department of Yugoslav Studies in 1963.

The Richmond Building has been partially re-clad with extra insulation and a new atrium; designed by local Saltaire-based architects Rance Booth & Smith; opened in December 2006, the roof of which uses ETFE – the same material used in the Eden Project.

Redevelopment of the sports facilities was completed in summer 2009,[22] and a new student village called "The Green" was constructed[23] which opened in September 2011.

The university has a "leading-edge 100-seat PC cluster" for teaching, learning and computer-based assessment, and there is an art gallery, theatre and music centre.

[25] In 2021, university campus buildings underwent a £3.5 million facelift, working on improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

[26] Additionally, in 2022 the university was donated £2 million by former Intel CTO and Bradford alumni, Dr. Venkata "Murthy" Renduchintala, to develop the "Murthy-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI" and announced plans to launch a prototype PocketQube satellite by 2024.

SCIM offers over 40 undergraduate degrees and postgraduate study in various areas including computing, ICT, robotics, mathematics, media and television.

The EIMC department was founded in 1991 and developed its courses in conjunction with the School of Art, Design & Textiles at Bradford and Ilkley Community College (now known as Bradford College) and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (now the National Media Museum).

[39] Today, SCIM no longer works in association with the college, but has strengthened its relationship with the nearby National Media Museum.

A core part of the school is the Innovations Unit, which offers the expertise of specialists within SCIM to commercial and social enterprises.

This collaboration is part of a government initiative called Knowledge Transfer, which also includes partnerships with national and international companies.

[41] The School has moved to the main city campus, into the Horton A building which underwent major refurbishment in 2011.

The School of Nursing was previously located on a separate site on Trinity Road, about 10 minutes walk from the main campus and near to St Luke's Hospital.

The Bradford School of Optometry and Vision Science (BSOVS)[44] has its own Eye Clinic, situated in the DHEZ – Phoenix South West Building, providing Primary Care for the local community in conjunction with a student training facility.

BSOVS also provides a variety of other clinical services (e.g. an Electro-diagnostic Unit opened October 2010) that people may be referred to by practitioners.

The Institute of Cancer Therapeutics has an excellent reputation for research and there is very close collaboration with staff from other divisions within the School.

[45] The Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences is located in refurbished, late 19th century mill buildings, housing extensive specialist facilities.

In 2019, the university moved its Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences to its main city centre campus.

Its research is both international and interdisciplinary and has five main research groups covering all the main areas of management, and co-operative links and exchange agreements with 20 universities in America, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

The school offers a range of taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses and has a number of active research areas, especially in conflict resolution.

In 2008, Lord Winston officially opened new state of the art psychology laboratories, for teaching and research.

[46] The motto which appears on most current University of Bradford publications is Making Knowledge Work, which relates to the institution's focus on courses that lead to employment.

[47] However, the motto inscribed beneath the official coat of arms is Give Invention Light, which is taken from Shakespeare's Sonnet 38.

[48][49] The university has also used the slogans Be Inspired and Confronting Inequality, Celebrating Diversity in recent promotional material.

The union is located in the Student Central building on campus, alongside the university bars, a cafe and shop, and the library.

[62] There is a wide variety of both, including many course related societies such as the Bradford Ophthalmic Optics Student Association.