Notre Dame’s rich history is alive as today’s students celebrate the same traditions introduced generations ago. Each spring, as dusk falls, the sophomores walk across campus, carrying lanterns and singing a song for the seniors. The entire campus community gathers every February to celebrate Notre Dame Day. One hundred nights before their graduation, the seniors come together to reflect on their experience and look forward to commencement. Each day Notre Dame students can sense that history as they walk the elegant hallways and stately staircases of Gibbons and Theresa halls.

College of Notre Dame's history begins with a journey from Germany. In 1847, Mary Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and five Sisters traveled to Baltimore to educate those neglected by society, poor girls and women. By that October, the Sisters were teaching in four schools. In 1873, Notre Dame of Maryland Preparatory School and Collegiate Institute—today's equivalent of elementary and high schools—opened on Charles Street, where the College is located today.

College of Notre Dame of Maryland was established as a four-year college in 1895. In 1899, Notre Dame became the first Catholic college for women in the United States to award the four-year baccalaureate degree to the members of the first graduating class. The School Sisters of Notre Dame remain the sponsoring congregation of the College, which follows the motto, Veritatem Prosequimur (We Pursue Truth).

In 1972, the College initiated the Continuing Education program, offering women age 25 and older the opportunity to study and earn bachelor’s degrees. Today that program has been fully integrated into the Women’s College.

Successful programs for professional women and men have enabled the College to expand its educational reach. In 1975, the Weekend College was established to serve employed students with conveniently scheduled classes. In 1984, the Graduate Studies Program began, offering master’s programs for the first time. In 2003, the College launched the Accelerated College for working professionals, further establishing partnerships with business and healthcare organizations throughout the region. Most recently, the College instituted its first doctoral program, a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations.

The English Language Institute, which opened in 1983, offers English as a second language and American culture classes and brings an international dimension to campus. The Renaissance Institute, a noncredit membership program for students age 50 and older, rounds out the College’s educational offerings.