Founded in 1940, Barry University is a Catholic university in Florida, just north of Downtown Miami. While the main campus is in Miami Shores, the university also offers a variety of adult education classes at other locations in Florida. 

The university maintains a campus in Orlando containing the Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law and a campus in Saint Petersburg that has the second branch of its Physician Assistant Programme. Barry University also has a campus on the island of St. Croix where a third branch of its Physician Assistant Program is located.

While Barry University is primarily an arts university, it has expanded to offer a variety of courses, which include: business, nursing, health sciences, teacher education, and liberal arts programmes.

Barry University became a member of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) in 1988 and has been a member of NCAA Division II since 1984. The SSC sponsors championships in 14 sports for men and women: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women's golf, rowing, men’s and women's soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and volleyball.

Each semester, students gather for intramural leagues and tournaments, which are also sponsored by Campus Recreation and Wellness. This event covers a variety of events, including: flag football, softball, soccer, and basketball as well as old favourites like dodgeball and table tennis. 

There is a student newspaper called The Barry Buccaneer, which ranges from between 8 and 16 pages and is published at the first of every month between September and May. It is entirely written and produced by students. 

The university also has a student-run campus radio station called WBRY. Student DJs play a variety of music, as well as hosting sports shows, talk shows, and daily news.

Notable alumni include Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal nicknamed Shaq, an American retired professional basketball player, Laurent Salvador Lamothe, a businessman, economist, and political figure who has served in the government of Haiti as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Flo Rida, an American hip hop recording artist.