There are two main campuses, both of which have won national awards for architecture and sympathetic environmental management. The larger campus at Callaghan lies about 12 km from the centre of Newcastle on a natural bushland site. Another campus is at Ourimbah on the Central Coast, about half way between Newcastle and Sydney, where about 1,800 students attend.
Although not a campus in the strict sense of the word, the UoN has a presence on two sites within the Newcastle C.B.D. School of Music and Conservatorium are located in the Civic Theatre precinct, while School of Law, Legal Centre, and Graduate School of Business are located in University House, a landmark art-deco sandstone building directly opposite Civic Park.