Founded in 1916, the college offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs for traditional and adult students.

The college's main campus for four-year traditional students is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

[2] The original organization stated its purpose as follows: "…to establish and maintain in the mountain section of North Carolina, a municipality containing assembly grounds for the encouragement of Christian work and living through Christian convention, public worship, missionary work, schools, libraries, orphan homes, manual and trades training and other operations auxiliary and incidental thereto; also a community and health resort with places for dwellings, permanently and temporarily, for health, rest, recreation, Christian work and fellowship, together with whatever may be connected therewith, directly or incidentally.

The original Mountain Retreat Association was adapted as a Presbyterian conference center fewer than ten years after its founding.

According to the Asheville Citizen, the school's purpose, in addition to training girls for teaching careers, was "to give Christian education to worthy girls of junior college and high school age who desire education and whose character and purpose assure the best use of it.

[6] In this way the predecessor to Montreat College was created as a part of the Mountain Retreat Association to make year-round use of the facilities previously used only for summer conferences.

The Board of Directors voluntarily agreed to surrender "all municipal powers and functions and permit Montreat to be governed by the laws of Buncombe County and the State of North Carolina.

During a time when the school's identity was being defined, the Grahams gave a total of $150,000 over a period of three years.

In 1975 the college and the Mountain Retreat Association conference center formed two separate organizations: Vaughn served as College President and Monroe Ashley, a Baptist minister who had done extensive work in camp and conference ministry, served as the President of the Mountain Retreat Association.

[5] In March 2014, after a $6 million anonymous gift, trustees decided to raise money and hire a new president.

People who have travelled say it is only equaled by Switzerland" [12] Montreat College's traditional program has almost 700 students.

[14] They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of the Division II level.