The University Archives were established in October 1991, the centenary year of the Hawkesbury campus, to collect and preserve initially the archival material of the Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury and its predecessor institutions, the University of Western Sydney Hawkesbury, the Hawkesbury Agricultural College and the Hawkesbury Agricultural College of Advanced Education.

In January 2001 the University began operating as a single multi-campus university, after a major restructure. The impact of the restructure on the Archives resulted in an expansion of its collection policy to encompass all six campuses of the University - Bankstown, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Hawkesbury, Parramatta and Penrith.

The University Archives are part of Records and Archives Management Services (RAMS) in the Office of Governance Services, responsible for the care and preservation of the corporate records of the Western Sydney University and its predecessors. In addition to capturing and maintaining official university records, the Archives also seeks to acquire records and memorabilia from individuals and groups associated with the University and the wider Western Sydney community.

The Archives also maintains a large photographic collection, maps and plans, publications, and significant items of interest.

The Archives' holdings include those records required to be kept under the State Records Act (1998) as State Archives, and those records that have historical value to the University and surrounding community.

They include:

• records of the university governing bodies, such as, the Board of Trustees, Academic Senate, University Management Advisory Committee (UMAC), College Boards of Studies and other significant committees
• records of predecessor institutions - Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Hawkesbury Agricultural College of Advanced Education, Nepean College of Advanced Education, Milperra College of Advanced Education, and Macarthur Institute of Higher Education
• official University publications - calendars, annual reports, handbooks, staff and student newsletters, journals and reports
• administrative files
• personal papers of senior staff and other members of the university
• photographs, maps, and plans
• film, video and sound recordings
• records deposited by outside groups - the Community Arts Workshop, Friends of the Library, Diamond Hill Papers of the Kurrajong Hills Committee, and private donations from former students and/or their relatives.