The Arcadia University legacy begins in 1853, in Western Pennsylvania, when Sylvania Jones and Juliet A. Poundstone left their family homes in Lafayette County, to pursue an education.

The students accompanied Dr. Sheridan Baker, principal at the Brownsville School they had attended, to the newly chartered Beaver Female Seminary.

Led by President Baker, Beaver taught liberal arts, ancient history, rhetoric, logic, and analogy during an era when few colleges for young women existed.

This location afforded larger facilities, an adequate campus, and greater development opportunities, increasing enrollment but maintaining the advantages of a small college.

In 1953, it led to a city ordinance requiring that one percent of construction costs for new public buildings be allocated to the creation and placement of artwork.

In July 2022, the university expanded its campus size, purchasing 125 Royal Avenue, the site of the former Bishop McDevitt High School.

The Doctor in Physical Therapy program can now be completed in hybrid mode of delivery, combining engaging online sessions, on-campus immersions, and hands-on clinical experiences to allow students across the country to earn their DPT without relocating.

[citation needed] Arcadia University teams compete in the NCAA Division III within the MAC Freedom of the Middle Atlantic Conference.