The campus opened in 1975 as Memorial University's West Coast Regional College; Arthur Sullivan served as its first principal. It began with 400 students. The facility was renamed in 1979 in honour of British medical missionary pioneer
Wilfred Grenfell. The original building is now known as the Arts and Science Building. In 1988, the campus' second building opened—the Fine Arts Building. Grenfell Campus saw significant expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s, with new student housing and academic buildings constructed. In 1995, the Library and Computing Building opened, which housed the newly named Ferriss Hodgett Library; in 1997, the Student Centre annex was added to the Arts and Science Building. In 1998, the Forest Centre opened, which houses not only laboratory and classroom space, but also research offices for
Natural Resources Canada, among others. In 2001, Grenfell opened its chalet apartments; the campus was then able to accommodate more than 400 students in student housing. In 2014, the new Residence Complex was officially opened, increasing student housing capacity to 600 students. Grenfell Campus played a critical role in helping Corner Brook host the
1999 Canada Winter Games with its residences being used to house athletes. The city's "Canada Games Centre" civic centre opened in 1997, adjacent to the Grenfell campus. Previously run by Memorial University through Western Sports and Entertainment, today, it is known as the "
Corner Brook Civic Centre," and is now run by
Corner Brook City Council. On April 1, 2005, the college introduced a
wireless local area network in areas of the campus which underwent major upgrades again in 2012. In Newfoundland and Labrador's 2007 provincial budget, it was announced that Sir Wilfred Grenfell College would become an autonomous university within a single university system. In late 2009, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced that Sir Wilfred Grenfell College would be undergoing several changes, including its own budget and a name change for the campus to include the 'Memorial University brand' and remove the 'College' appellation. However, the announcement fell short of offering the campus true status as a university (within the Memorial system), much to the anger and disappointment of many local residents. On September 10, 2010, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College was renamed "Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland". The campus has since undergone a major facelift with the expansion of the Arts and Science building which includes additional science laboratories, a
herbarium, digital media labs, and an
astronomical observatory. On June 11, 2012, the campus unveiled its new logo to the public, which was rolled out in addition to a new marketing campaign entitled "Find Your Corner." New
soil science laboratories, the Boreal Ecosystem Research facility, attached to the Forest Centre, also opened in Summer 2013. In 2016,
Western Health closed the nursing school residence in the wake of the 2016 provincial budget. Monaghan Hall, located at Western Regional Memorial Hospital, had 69 rooms and closed that September. Grenfell Campus introduced a
decanal academic structure in 2016, replacing the previous college-style Department Head structure. In June 2016,
Princess Anne dedicated a sculpture of the Danger Tree marking the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel. In 2016, Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau visited Grenfell Campus and planted a Forget-Me-Not at the Danger Tree site memorial. ==Degree programs==