In 1972, shortly after the establishment of the Riverina College of Advanced Education (RCAE), a study centre was set up in Albury as part of an ambitious distance education program. The Albury study centre was replaced in 1976 by the Albury-Wodonga study centre, and in 1984 the study centre was officially recognised as the 'Murray' campus of the RCAE.

Effective from the 1 March 1985, the college's name was changed to the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education (RMIHE) to better reflect the geographical areas serviced by the institution.

In 1989, the Charles Sturt University Act brought together the Riverina Murray Institute of Higher Education and the Mitchell College of Advanced Education to form Charles Sturt University. The Albury-Wodonga campus became one of the three foundation campuses of Charles Sturt University, along with Bathurst and Wagga Wagga .

The University purchased the historic local site in central Albury known as 'The Cedars' in 1990, to be used as the administrative centre for the campus.

The University purchased a green field campus site at Thurgoona in 1993 from the Albury-Wodonga Development Committee to the value of $6 million.

A plaque and foundation stone were unveiled at the Thurgoona site by the Governor-General of Australia, His Excellency The Honourable Sir William Deane, to mark the commencement of construction on 18 April 1997.

The history of Bathurst campus dates back to 1895 with the establishment of the Bathurst Experiment Farm.

The Bathurst Teachers' College was established on the site of the Bathurst Experiment Farm. The first students commenced their training on the 12 March 1951, although the college was not officially opened until the 9 November 1951.

In 1989, the Charles Sturt University Act brought together the Riverina Murray Institute of Higher Education and the Mitchell College of Advanced Education to form Charles Sturt University. Bathurst campus became one of the three foundation campuses of Charles Sturt along with Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga campuses.

A ceremony was held on the 13 May 1991 to mark the naming of The Grange which was attended by Captain Anthony Napier Sturt, the great grandson of Captain Charles Sturt. The Grange was built as the administrative centre of the University, housing the Vice-Chancellor's office.

During 1998, the University established a new campus in Canberra to house the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture.

On 7 December 1999, the Governor General launched the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra. This is a joint initiative between the University and the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn

At the December 1991 meeting of the Charles Sturt University Board of Governors, it was announced that a University - TAFE Centre was to open in Dubbo in February 1992 to provide teaching and other facilities for distance education students.

On 19 May 1994, it was announced that Dubbo would become a campus of Charles Sturt. To this end, the University purchased a parcel of land from the Dubbo City Council.

On 10 June 1999, the Governor of NSW, Gordon Samuels, laid the foundation stone to mark commencement of construction at the campus. The University held its first graduation ceremony in Dubbo on the same day.

In 1968, the Department of Education took the decision to build several new Teachers' Colleges in NSW. In July 1968, tenders for the Goulburn Teachers' College were issued and the buildings were mostly completed by July 1970. On 30 June 1970, 185 students were enrolled at the college.

The Goulburn Teachers' College officially opened on 1 July 1970. On 8 August 1975 the corporate name of the college was changed to Goulburn College of Advanced Education. The college continued to offer primary and secondary teachers' diplomas until 1 January 1982 when it was dissolved and became the Goulburn campus of the Riverina College of Advanced Education (RCAE).

On the 20 December 1983, the NSW State Government announced that the new Police Academy would be established at the Goulburn campus.

In 1984, the Goulburn Campus of RCAE was disbanded and the staff and students were transferred to the Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga campuses of the Riverina College of Advanced Education.

In 1993, Charles Sturt University and the NSW Police Service signed an agreement to establish a Professional Development Centre in Policing to be located at the Police Academy in Goulburn.

During 1998, the University created a new School of Policing at the Goulburn campus in conjunction with the NSW Police Academy to further policing education.

In 2005, Charles Sturt University became one of the first foreign universities in Canada to be recognised as a University in the Province of Ontario, and the first to commence operations.

On 16 February 2005 the Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt University formally announced that Charles Sturt would commence delivery of a Teacher Education program in Ontario, Canada.

The official launch of the Bachelor of Primary Education Studies at Ontario Campus took place on 29 August 2005.

As of July 2015, due to the legislative and regulatory environment in Ontario, the University regretfully ceased to operate its Ontario campus.

Orange campus was officially transferred to Charles Sturt University from the University of Sydney on 1 January 2005.

Originally the Orange campus was home to the Orange Agricultural College, established in 1973 to offer courses principally related to the management of agricultural businesses.

The Orange Agricultural College was then linked with the University of New England (UNE) from 1990 to 1994, before becoming a part of the University of Sydney.

In 2000, the Orange Agricultural College was officially dissolved, while still remaining part of the University of Sydney.

The official opening of Orange campus as a campus of Charles Sturt University took place on 8 September 2006.

The history of the Wagga Wagga campus dates back to 1892 with the establishment of the Wagga Experiment Farm offering vocational agricultural education on the current site of Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. However, the first students were not enrolled at the Experiment Farm until 1 October 1896.

In 1948, the Minister for Agriculture proposed the establishment of an Agricultural College at Wagga Wagga offering a three-year Diploma, and on 9 September 1949 the Wagga Wagga Experiment Farm was converted into the Wagga Wagga Agricultural College. Although the first students attended lectures on 3 March 1949, the official opening and naming did not take place until 9 September 1949.

Two years earlier, in 1947, the Wagga Wagga Teachers College had been established on a different site in the township of Wagga Wagga (later to become known as 'South Campus') to provide teacher education.

The then School of Agriculture's building 'Doman Hall' was officially opened on 24 April 1964 in response to a dire need for more student accommodation.  In February 2018, an event was held to celebrate the history of the building, prior to it being demolished after reaching its end of life. To ensure that Doman Hall is forever remembered a book entitled 'Doman' by Sherry Morris has been published.

During 1971, the Riverina College of Advanced Education was formally established and on 1 January 1972 the Wagga Wagga Teachers College was dissolved and the Riverina College of Advanced Education was established on the site of the Teachers College. Study centres were also opened in Albury and Griffith.

On 1 January 1976, the Wagga Wagga Agricultural College was merged with the Riverina College of Advanced Education and became the School of Agriculture within the college.

During the 1970s, the Council of the RCAE decided to purchase a green field's site adjacent to the existing campus of the Wagga Wagga Agricultural College known locally as 'Boorooma' Campus. During the late 1970s and into the 1980s, a great deal of building development was undertaken at this new site in readiness for the transfer of staff, students and amenities to the new Boorooma and Agricultural campuses north of the Murrumbidgee River, from the old Teachers College campus in the city proper.

Effective from 1 March 1985, the name of the college was changed to the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education to better reflect the geographical areas served by the institution, with the two main campuses located at Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga.

In 1989, the Charles Sturt University Act brought together the Riverina Murray Institute of Higher Education and the Mitchell College of Advanced Education to form Charles Sturt University. Wagga Wagga Campus became one of the three foundation campuses of Charles Sturt, along with Albury-Wodonga and Bathurst.

In late 2017 the former Wagga Wagga Teachers College (known as 'South Campus') was sold by the University to Signature Care Aged Care Facilities. A book entitled 'South Campus - A History' by Nancy Blacklow was published to celebrate the history of the South Campus site.