It is one of nine campuses within the University of Louisiana System and dates back to 1931 when it was formed as Ouachita Parish Junior College. In 1969, it granted doctoral degrees for the first time and was elevated to university status as Northeast Louisiana University (NLU). In 1999, the university was renamed to its present name.
ULM is made up of a variety of separate Colleges, which include: arts, education and sciences, business and social sciences, health and pharmaceutical sciences, and a graduate school. Some of the most popular courses on offer include: management, pharmacy, nursing, computer science and psychology. ULM also offers courses, which are taught wholly online in subjects such as history, criminal justice, marketing and counselling.