[11] The first graduating class, which numbered at 45 students,[11] contained William O. Trapp, who would then go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1929.

[11] In 1927, Harry Sprague was the first president of Montclair,[11] and shortly afterwards the school began being more inclusive of extracurricular activities such as athletics.

It was also a time when students and faculty sold war bonds to support US American troops.

[12] The building of the MSU Station cost $26 million[12] to complete, including a 1,500-space parking deck.

Partridge Hall was fully renovated and in 2016, became the new School of Nursing, which welcomed its inaugural class of students that fall.

In 2016, Montclair State University was designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

[15] Montclair State University comprises seven colleges and six schools, each led by a dean or director.

[24] As part of their new residency programs, the Cali School welcomed the Harlem Quartet as its new quartet-in-residence and introduced Jessie Montgomery as its composer-in-residence.

[25] In 2021, the Cali School implemented the Cali Pathways Project, a scholarship program designed to create dynamic and comprehensive pathways to higher education and careers in music for talented student musicians from underrepresented backgrounds.

[22] This will change in July 2025, as the SCM will become its own college in 2025[27] The school opened a well-equipped, modern facility in fall 2017.

[29] The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State offers 20 undergraduate majors and more than 40 minors.

University College admits about one-third of incoming freshman, as well as approximately 1,400 returning and transfer students who have yet to declare a major.

Montclair State University's online Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program was ranked No.

The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2019 Edition included Montclair State in its rankings of America's greenest campuses.

Montclair State University's athletic teams have played under many names in the school's history.

From the late 1920s to '30s, the school played as the "Big Red" and featured a large scarlet "M" on its uniforms.

Next, Montclair State Teacher's College competed as the Indians, using a logo with a Native American chief's profile with the initials "MSTC" emblazoned on the caricature's headdress.

Montclair’s 2023 season was wonderful for the men’s soccer team, they would win the NJAC Division and would go on to make it to the semi finals of the National Championship before falling to Connecticut College on penalties.

Between 1950 and 1980, Montclair State gradually acquired land from a former traprock quarry and expanded its facilities with an additional 23 buildings.

Montclair State University began its next phase of growth in the late 1990s to accommodate New Jersey's growing student population.

MSU's most recent master plan contained $650 million in capital construction and improvements.