The University can trace its origins back to the founding of an adult education school in 1798. The foundation stone of the original University College in Shakespeare Street was laid in 1877, accompanied by a speech by William Ewart Gladstone. The building was formally opened in 1881 by Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. Outgrowing its city centre site, in 1928 the University College moved to a new campus to the south west of the city, a move made possible by the generosity of Jesse Boot, later Lord Trent. His gift of land has gradually been added to, creating the current University Park Campus. In 1948 the College received its Royal Charter, which gave it the title of "university" and the power to confer degrees. Previously, its students received their degrees from the University of London.

Over time the University has seen steady expansion. In 1947 the Midlands Agricultural and Dairy College at Sutton Bonington merged with the university, in the 1970s the university established a medical school. In 1999 a new Jubilee Campus was opened on the former site of the Raleigh factory, one mile away from the University Park campus. More recently, the university has expanded overseas, opening campuses in Malaysia and China. In September 2005 the King's Meadow campus opened. Built on the site of a former television studio the campus hosts the university's administrative departments and the Information Services department.

The logo used until 2001The university has used several logos over the years. Initially, the university coat of arms with the cross, book and towers was used, and is still used in books owned by the university's various libraries. Later, the university adopted a simpler logo, in which a stylised version of Nottingham Castle was surrounded by the text 'The University of Nottingham'. In 2001 the university undertook a major rebranding exercise, including dropping this logo and replacing it with the current one (with the text to the right of the stylised castle).

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