[1] Chapman encouraged his friend and fellow Swedenborgian, John Hough James, to donate the land on which Urbana University was built.

[1] To this day, the university maintains an informal relationship with the Swedenborgian General Convention of the Church of the New Jerusalem in the United States of America.

[1] College level classes were first held in the fall of 1854, following the construction of Bailey Hall, the first building on the campus.

[1] Until 2014, in addition to having been a traditional liberal arts college, Urbana University's School of Adult and Graduate Education offered associate degree and Bachelor of Science degree completion programs in Business Management, Education, Criminal Justice Leadership, Human Services Leadership, and many more.

[8] Urbana University offered 28 undergraduate majors and Graduate programs in Nursing (MSN), Education (MEd), Business Administration (MBA), Criminal Justice Administration (MA), and a Post-Baccalaureate in Teacher Licensure[9] The Urbana athletic teams were called the Blue Knights.

The university was a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) from 2013–14 to 2019–20.

The Blue Knights previously competed in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) as a provisional member only during the 2012–13 school year; as an NCAA D-II Independent from 2008–09 to 2011–12; and in the defunct American Mideast Conference (AMC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1971–72 to 2007–08.

Urbana competed in 19 intercollegiate varsity teams: Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports included acrobatics & tumbling, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball and water polo.

Urbana's residence halls emphasized civic responsibility, mutual respect, mature interpersonal relationships, multicultural understanding, and community engagement.

Students living on campus forged friendships to last a lifetime while learning about different cultures, backgrounds and ideas, gaining an understanding of being part of a community, and developing their leadership skills.