The University of New England has undergone two major changes since 1989. The University of New England Act, 1989, created a network University consisting of: a campus at Armidale, incorporating the former University of New England and the former Armidale College of Advanced Education; and a campus at Lismore, incorporating the former Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education. The following year the Orange Agricultural College joined the network University. The network also included the UNE-Coffs Harbour Centre, which provided courses from within academic departments of the Armidale and Lismore campuses.

The University of New England has been re-formed once again, with legislation (The University of New England Act, 1993 and the Southern Cross University Act, 1993) passed by both Houses of the New South Wales Parliament in November, 1993. This legislation had the effect of dismantling the network University. The University of New England from 1994 has only one campus, at Armidale. A new University (Southern Cross University) was created with campuses in Lismore and Coffs Harbour; the Orange campus was amalgamated with the University of Sydney.

The University of New England was originally formed in 1938 as the New England University College, a College of the University of Sydney. It became fully independent in 1954.

The University of New England has, since 1989, included the former Armidale College of Advanced Education, which was amalgamated with the Armidale campus at the time of the creation of the network University. This process of amalgamation was complete by the time of the new legislation in 1993, and the dismantling of the network University had no effect on its status.

The College of Advanced Education began life in 1928 as the Armidale Teachers College and became the Armidale College of Advanced Education in 1974, prior to amalgamation with the Armidale campus of the University of New England in 1989.

The University of New England is located on several sites in Armidale. The northern campus of the University is five kilometres to the northwest of the city centre, in an attractive rural and bushland setting. Part of this campus includes the original property presented by the late Mr. T. R. Forster to the University of Sydney for the establishment of a University College. This property comprised the old homestead, Booloominbah, together with several other buildings and 74 hectares of land. Since the original gift, a number of other generous benefactors have presented properties to the University, whose Armidale site now comprises some 260 hectares.

The Newling campus of the University includes the Newling Centre, home to the New England Conservatorium of Music, and other buildings associated with the former Armidale College of Advanced Education.

The University also possesses a number of rural properties in close proximity to the campus, providing facilities for teaching and research. In addition, there are the 'Tullimba' rural research property at Kingstown and the Douglas McMaster Rural Research Station at Warialda.