[11] The college was founded in 1837 as the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary by Mary Lyon, a pioneer in education for women.

[12] In 2014, it became the first member of the Seven Sisters (not counting the coeducational Vassar College) to introduce an admissions policy that was inclusive of transgender students.

[15] Lyon developed her ideas on how to educate women when she was assistant principal at Ipswich Female Seminary in Massachusetts.

The college cut staff to the minimum as the 100 or so students each performed one hour of work a day, handling most of the routine chores like cooking and cleaning and maintaining the grounds.

The curriculum allowed women to study subjects like geometry, calculus, Latin, Greek, science, philosophy, and history, which were not typically taught at other female seminaries in the 19th century.

[17][18] Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was one of several Christian institutions of higher education for young women established during the first half of the 19th century.

[20] According to historian Amanda Porterfield, Lyon created Mount Holyoke to be "a religious institution that offered a model of Christian society for all to see.

"[21] Students "were required to attend church services, chapel talks, prayer meetings, and Bible study groups.

The change in admission from Seminary to College included fundraising by the trustees, an overhaul of the entrance requirements, and course catalog.

[24] A movement towards what was referred to as cottage-style living started in 1889 by the New York Association[25] after the change to Mount Holyoke Seminary and College.

$15,000 was raised, and plans were put in place for Mary Brigham Cottage, with accommodations for the president and thirty students, with priority given to those in the collegiate course.

Mrs. Mead was ready to relieve the students of a large share of the drudgery of domestic work that had made up a good portion of their studies since Mary Lyon's conception of the seminary.

From 1895 to 1996 the trustees allotted funds for the employment of four women to wash the dinner dishes that had formerly constituted the task of eight or ten students.

[39] The ranking was based on students' level of agreement or disagreement with the statement, "Professors are interesting and bring their material to life.

The Weissman Center's Speaking, Arguing, and Writing (SAW) Program[61] provides opportunities for developing leadership and communication skills, including the ability to effectively frame, articulate, and advocate positions.

[63] Through the school's membership in the Twelve College Exchange program, Mount Holyoke students can study at one of the following 12 other schools for one semester or a full year:[64] A number of faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their research and writing achievements, including Christopher Benfey (literary scholar), Joseph Ellis (historian), Susan Barry (neurobiologist), Mark McMenamin (geologist and paleontologist) and Becky Wai-Ling Packard (psychologist).

"[65] Mount Holyoke administrator and art professor Rie Hachiyanagi made international headlines when she was charged with the attempted murder of a regular member of the faculty on 23 December 2019.

The campus includes a botanic garden, two lakes, several waterfalls, tennis courts, stables, and woodland riding trails.

[73] It has reduced its environmental impact by recycling 40% of waste and composting as well as using produce grown in the student-run organic garden in dining halls.

[24] This style of separated buildings allowed for flexibility in fundraising that was attractive to the trustees, while still providing the students with the resources and accommodations they needed.

[77] Mount Holyoke has been recognized for its campus beauty by Huffington Post,[78] The Princeton Review,[79] and Architectural Digest.

[81] The school owns an 18-hole golf course, The Orchards, which was designed by Donald Ross and which hosted the U.S. Women's Open in 2004.

[84] The MEWS (Mediated Educational Work Space) supports collaborative multimedia learning with group project rooms, wall-mounted plasma displays, a digitization center, and a faculty development area.

In January 2018, Mount Holyoke opened a new centralized dining commons within the previously existing Blanchard Community Center.

[95] In 2023, Mount Holyoke's undergraduate student body was 50% white, 22% international, 7% Asian, 9% Hispanic, 5% black, and 5% multiracial.

[98] Mount Holyoke News, or MHN, publishes on a biweekly basis throughout the academic year with new issues going out in print form every other Friday.

[119] Facilities include a lighted synthetic multipurpose turf field surrounded by an eight-lane track with a nine-lane straightaway; Kendall Sports and Dance Complex housing a swimming pool and separate diving well; gymnasium with basketball, volleyball, and badminton courts; weight room; cardiovascular area; one-acre (4,000 m2) field house with indoor track and tennis courts; squash courts; racquetball courts; and three studios for dance, aerobics, yoga, and other activities; The Orchards, an 18-hole golf course (home to the 2004 U.S. Women's Open) designed by Donald Ross; and a 60-stall equestrian center with two indoor arenas (100' × 256' and 70' × 130'), an outdoor show ring, permanent fibar dressage arena, outdoor cross-country courses, and a boathouse finished for Spring 2010.