Established in 1922 by the Sisters of Notre Dame as a women's college, it was coeducational from January 2001 until its closure.

[9] Prior to joining the NCAA, the college competed in the NAIA as a member of the American Mideast Conference.

The building, designed by architect Thomas D. McLaughlin and built by contractor John T. Gill, originally housed the entire college.

[11][13] In the fall of 1991, Notre Dame's Master of Education program started, with the first class graduating in 1994.

Before deciding to close, college administrators and trustees explored merging with Cleveland State University.

[5][16] After closing, Lake Erie College in nearby Painesville agreed to become NDC's "institution of record", preserving documents and other historical items.

[7] The 48-acre (19.4 ha) main academic and residential campus was located 10 miles (16 km) east of Cleveland in South Euclid.

Notre Dame College's athletic teams were known as the Falcons, whose colors are blue and gold.

The college was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level.

[8] In August 2012, Notre Dame became a charter member of the Mountain East Conference (MEC), a new Division II league that began play in the 2013–14 school year.

[9] Notre Dame College previously competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a member of the American Mideast Conference (AMC) from 1998–99 to 2010–11.