Adelaide, South Australia's state capital, was founded in 1836. It has a public transport network with trains, trams, O-bahn (guided buses) and buses. The city loop bus is free and runs seven days a week. Driving and cycling to the main campus are both feasible. There is a university shuttle bus from North Terrace campus to the Roseworthy and Waite campuses. International students, except for those with Australian government sponsorship or on exchange programmes, are not eligible for the Australian student travel discount.

The university has an accommodation service and provides students with help finding housing in the university's residential colleges and apartments, or with finding private rentals.

Most University sport is organised by the Adelaide University Sports Association (AUSA). The Sports Association was founded in 1896 by the Adelaide University Boat, Tennis and Lacrosse Clubs. The Association disaffiliated from the Adelaide University Union (AUU) on 1 January 2010 and is currently directly affiliated to the University of Adelaide. The AUSA supports 37 sporting clubs which provide a diverse range of sporting opportunities to students of the University of Adelaide (AU). The AUSA is a major stakeholder in the AU North Terrace Campus based Sports Hub fitness centre and the North Adelaide based university playing fields.