In 1917, the academy received a charter from the Regents of the State of New York to raise the school officially to a collegiate level, granting degrees as the College of the Sacred Heart.

Other historic buildings include: the Lady Chapel; the President's Cottage known as the Barbara Debs House; the old Stables; and Water Tower.

Manhattanville University traces its origins to an Academy of the Sacred Heart founded over 175 years ago on the Lower East Side of New York City.

Archbishop John Hughes counted "upon Ravenswood becoming the leading Academy for young Ladies" in the Archdiocese of New York.

John McCloskey, the newly installed coadjutor bishop of New York, would personally travel there when he could, but even he "could not supply for all their spiritual needs."

At that time, the village of Manhattanville was still eight miles north of New York City, which clustered around the south end at the Battery of Manhattan Island.

The academy was always diverse with a substantial proportion of the student body consisting of recent immigrants from Latin America and Europe.

[11] In 1880, the academy began offering a two-year post-high school program for its young women students, foreshadowing a future in higher education.

Over the next century New York City expanded, transforming the area from a farming village to a neighborhood in West Harlem.

[12]In the early 20th century, higher education opportunities for women increased as many formerly academies, seminaries, institutions and lower schools transitioned to the status of colleges.

[13] Shortly before the United States declared war on the German Empire and entered the First World War, on March 1, 1917, the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Manhattanville received a Provisional Charter from the Regents of the State of New York to offer undergraduate degrees as "The College of the Sacred Heart".

Though small, the college made headlines across the country for taking a strong position promoting racial equality decades before the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s, into the 1960s and 1970s.

[17] While the vast majority of letters praised Manhattanville for its courageous action, college president Grace Dammann viewed the negative responses as an opportunity to open hearts and minds.

At the annual Class Day reunion on May 31, 1938, she delivered a passionate speech entitled "Principles Versus Prejudices."

"The more we know of man's doing and thinking throughout time and throughout the world's extent, the more we understand that beauty and goodness and truth are not the monopoly of any age nor of any group nor of any race.

[18]"The speech went on to be published in several national publications and established Manhattanville as a leader in higher education and human rights.

[citation needed] In February 1949, The New York Times reported that City College was campaigning to acquire the Manhattanville campus to expand their facilities.

[23] The same month, CCNY distributed a pamphlet, entitled "No Other Place to Go: A City College Plea for Purchase of the Manhattanville Property".

[24] In September 1949, the Manhattanville Board of Trustees purchased the Whitelaw Reid Estate, north of the city in suburban Westchester County.

Although the college had been operated by an independent board of trustees since its founding in 1841, it was strongly identified with the Church and these changes were difficult for the community.

In 1973, the student academic experience evolved due to an important campus study funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The first European owner of the parcel of land was Ben Holladay who bought the estate in the 1860s and named its Ophir Farm after a silver mine in Nevada.

The chapel was completed in 1963 and named in honor of the longest serving president of the college Eleanor O’Byrne, RSCJ, whose administration lasted from 1945 to 1966.

The center includes a classroom housed within a LEED-compliant, non-invasive structure designed by Maya Lin, architect of the Vietnam War Memorial.

The project also included a restoration of the Holladay Stone Chapel, which features new stonework and a glass roof providing a unique reflective space on campus.

[54] This building currently houses the Communication and Media Department, the Berger Art Gallery, the student-run radio station MVL; the school newspaper, Touchstone; a dance studio and a fitness center.

In addition to its 45 majors and minors of undergraduate study, Manhattanville University offers 75 graduate master's degrees and certificates and an Ed.D.

In January 2021, the institution added a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program that welcomed its first students in the fall 2021.

It was founded by Justine Ward, who had developed teaching methods for Gregorian chant emulating the techniques of the monks in Solesmes, and by Georgia Stevens, a musician and nun.

[citation needed] Thousands of music teachers studied at the school, including Cecilia Clare Bocard and Thomas Mark Liotta.