It was established in 1889 by a group of Spartanburg residents and named after textile pioneer Dexter Edgar Converse.

The college only admitted women students and operated as a "stock company" with the board of directors composed entirely of residents of Spartanburg.

Dexter Edgar Converse, a native of Vermont who had settled in Spartanburg before the American Civil War and had become a successful pioneer in the cotton mill industry, served as the head of the first board of directors.

The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Conference Carolinas.

[citation needed] Women's sports include acrobatics and tumbling, basketball, cross country, equestrian, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, tennis, swimming and volleyball.

[citation needed] The inaugural men's sports are basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.