Concordia College was dedicated as a private academy on October 31, 1891, by a group of approximately one dozen Norwegian pastors and laymen[8] who had recently settled in the Red River Valley.

[12] In 1892, Rasmus Bogstad, a Norwegian pastor, raised funds to build a male dormitory on campus grounds.

[10] Under Aasgaard, the nearby Park Region College and Bruflat Academy were merged with Concordia,[18] and a new library was built in what is now called Grose Hall.

[23] Under his leadership, the Concordia Annual Fund, which continues today, was established to raise money for the college's interests.

[25] In 1991, Concordia's Speech Team placed 4th in the nation at the AFA-NIET, beating schools with twenty times their enrolment.

[37][38] Faculty are encouraged to retain Becoming Responsibly Engaged in the World (BREW) as a thematic focus in their instructions.

[39] The college operates by a semester calendar[7] and first-year students are required to take courses in health, communication, religion, and culture.

[41] Concordia is included in the Open Doors survey of the top twenty baccalaureate institutions that send students abroad.

[46] Music education began with the college's 1891 formation, when piano and organ lessons were taught by one instructor.

[53] In 1940, Christianson began working with painter Cyrus M. Running to incorporate murals with the concert to reflect the music's themes.

[53] The 2009 concert, Journey to Bethlehem, was recorded by Twin Cities Public Television and won a regional Emmy.

[61] Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, track & field, and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

[64] Soon after, teams for tennis, golf, wrestling, softball, volleyball, track, cross country running and others were formed.

[68] One of Christiansen's former students, Jim Christopherson, took over coaching in 1969 and led the team to nine conference titles and two national championships.

[63] The 1982 Concordia–Moorhead women's basketball team defeated Mount Mercy, 73–72, to capture the Cobbers' first AIAW Division III national championship.