[23] The school has its roots in the Lincoln and Lee University movement first put forth by the Methodist Church and its Bishop Ernest Lynn Waldorf in the 1920s.

The proposed university (which was to honor Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee) was to be built on the Missouri–Kansas border at 75th and State Line Road.

The target was met, and the University of Kansas City, or "KCU" for short, held its first classes in October 1933 with a faculty of 17 and a student enrollment of 264.

[25] The University of Kansas City grew quickly, and soon incorporated other existing local private institutions of higher learning.

[37] The School of Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri, is known as the Health Sciences District campus or HSD.

The St. Joseph campus, or STJ, is located within Mosaic Life Care hospital, with construction underway on a new $14.5 million, 22,000-square-foot medical school.

[40] For over 50 years, UMKC has broadcast live, taped, and syndicated programming over KCUR, the university's radio station and NPR affiliate.

[57] Notable Roos soccer players have included goalkeepers Kevin Corby and Connor Sparrow, defenders Roberto Albuquerque and Coady Andrews, forwards Levi Coleman, Eric McWoods, and Jordan Rideout, and midfielders Manny Catano, Jony Muñoz, and Bryan Pérez.

In April 2007, the school dropped its Co-Ed Rifle Program in order to add women's soccer and men's baseball.

UMKC is spread across multiple locales; the main Volker Campus, home to the majority of university operations, is located in Kansas City, Missouri's Rockhill neighborhood, east of the Country Club Plaza, and adjacent to both the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and the Linda Hall Library.

This district is a first-in-the-nation partnership between local and state governments, the university, and these nationally recognized healthcare faculties, designed to promote collaboration in research, innovation, education, grant funding, and community outreach, for the advancement of health and wellness in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

The Chemistry, Physics, and Geosciences departments, as well as the School of Computing and Engineering, are located in Flarsheim Hall.

[62] Haag Hall (pronounced Hāg), built in 1937, contains offices and classrooms including the departments of mathematics and communication studies.

The building currently houses the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning + Design's offices and classrooms, and was once the location for the School of Pharmacy.

The residence was built by Uriah S. Epperson, who was a banker, industrialist, and philanthropist who amassed significant wealth from insurance and meat-packing industries.

The first phase involves moving the university's Conservatory of Music and Dance to a location in the Crossroads District.

Over time, the buildings began to deteriorate, and in 2002, the university determined that demolishing Twin Oaks and constructing a new residence hall in its place would be more cost-effective.

In September 2006, the Kansas City Fire Department utilized Twin Oaks for firefighter training.

The ground level is a large common lobby with a kitchen, laundry facility, music practice rooms, pool tables and a widescreen television set.

On floors 2–5, kitchenettes, vending machines, quiet study rooms and social lounges comprise the common areas.

Oak Place consisted of two four story apartment complexes separated by an above ground parking structure.

The apartments were demolished in mid-2020 after various issues with the buildings such as water damage and mold prevailed, forcing students to evacuate.

[76][77] Construction on Herman and Dorothy Johnson Hall began in 2008, and it is situated on the UMKC Volker Campus, north of Oak Place Apartments.

The suites consist of single and double occupancy rooms that share a bathroom, and the building has gender-segregated floors.

Amenities available to students include music practice rooms, a computer lab, laundry facilities, and outdoor green space.

Greek Life at the University of Missouri–Kansas City is administered by the Office of Student Involvement's Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.

Although the Greek population is relatively small, it maintains a proud heritage, and several chapters have received awards from their organization's international offices.

The Bounders was the first social organization recognized by the University of Kansas City, and the fraternity originated many of UMKC's school traditions.

The campus-wide event was created as Hobo Day, and it first occurred on May 8, 1935, to celebrate the end of the spring semester.

President Decker was an appropriate master of ceremonies for the day, as he had lived the life of a hobo during a portion of his younger years.