Founded in 1880 by Paul-Émile Carnal on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey in the town of Rolle in the canton of Vaud, it is among the oldest boarding schools in Switzerland.

The school also owns a campus in the ski resort village of Gstaad in the canton of Bern, to where the student body, faculty and staff move during the months of January through March.

[5] Le Rosey's philosophy is inspired by what Harvard educationalist Howard Gardner has called "multiple intelligences": "its aim is to develop all Roseans’ talents through academic, sporting and artistic programmes.

[13] In spring and autumn, classes are held at the Château du Rosey campus in the village of Rolle in the canton of Vaud, located between Geneva and Lausanne in southwestern Switzerland.

For the winter months of January through March, the entire student body moves to a group of chalets in the ski resort town of Gstaad in the canton of Bern.

Le Rosey offers a wide range of sports, including: football, basketball, volleyball, cross country running, sailing, rowing, swimming, and water skiing during the spring and autumn terms.

[16] In 1931, Lucien Brunel, a former member of the International Red Cross and former director of the school of the Grand-Lancy Castle, took on, by demand of Henri Carnal, the direction of Rosey until 1949.

Louis Johannot, in an interview with Life Magazine in 1965, made a comment that received considerable attention: "The only reason I always try to meet and know the parents better is because it helps me to forgive their children.

[citation needed] Institut Le Rosey's academic curriculum is designed to "provide education of breadth, depth and quality for an international student body.

"[25] Le Rosey offers a rigorous bilingual and bicultural education with the principal language of instruction being French or English depending on the student's academic programme.

Off-campus Le Rosey owns a private equestrian centre housing 30 horses, an indoor riding school, a dressage area, and a clubhouse.

[44] The school is also mentioned in Master of the Game (1982) by Sidney Sheldon, Answered Prayers (1986) by Truman Capote,[45] Any Woman's Blues (1990) by Erica Jong,[46] For Love Alone (1992) by Ivana Trump,[47] and What Became of Her (2002) by Marijane Meaker.

[48] Similarly, Le Rosey is mentioned in Bret Easton Ellis' novel American Psycho (1991), as the alma mater of Evelyn Williams, who is the protagonist's fiancée.

In a 2002 episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, affluent character Martha Strick, played by Veanne Cox, says she attended Le Rosey.

[50][51] Columnist Taki Theodoracopulos has written extensively on the school and its alumni,[52] and was in the middle of a mild controversy when in 1998 he jokingly wrote in The Spectator that Osama bin Laden had attended Le Rosey.

[53][54] The story resulted in an outcry from American readers, inquiries from several magazines, and the school publicly and "vehemently" denying that bin Laden had attended Le Rosey.

[53] In 1999, American journalist Paul Klebnikov wrote an exposé on Le Rosey in Forbes magazine detailing the problems the school was experiencing with its majority Russian student body.

[56] Gudin is in negotiations with the local authorities in Schönried, a suburb of Gstaad located a few minutes away, to construct a new main campus on an undeveloped piece of land, but has run into difficulties due to zoning restrictions.