The institution was founded in 1911 by Helen Temple Cooke as part of the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Originally known as the Post-Graduate Department of Dana Hall, it was a women-only institution at a time when women were generally denied access to higher education.

[6] Mary Virginia Harris, a veteran of World War II who served in the WAVES program and who wrote its manual, was a dean there.

[7] In 1977, under the leadership of President Rosemary Ashby,[8] the school expanded its mission to offer four-year bachelor's degrees, and became Pine Manor College.

However, by the end of President Ashby's 22-year tenure in the mid-nineties, enrollment had declined by 50 percent to less than 300 full-time students, threatening the survival of the college.

This was made possible, in large part, due to the generosity of wealthy older alumnae; in 1998, Pine Manor College cut its tuition by 34 percent after receiving a bequest of $4 million from Frances Crandall Dyke '25.

[10][11][12] In 2011, the college failed to meet the financial benchmarks required by its accreditation agency,[13] forcing the end of President Nemerowicz's tenure after 15 years.

[17] In May 2013, the college sold 5.2 acres to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for $4.5 million to build his family home.

[19] The following year, President E. Joseph Lee stepped down amidst reports of the school's financial difficulties and declining enrollment.

An initiative designed to enhance educational opportunities for underrepresented, first-generation students, the Pine Manor Institute (PMI) was to include a cost-free summer enrichment program for students in grades 8-12 starting in June 2022, and an associate’s degree-granting two-year residential college starting in 2024.

The college emphasizes support for underprivileged students through a residential model, small class sizes, and mentorship, preparing graduates for workforce entry or transfer to four-year institutions.

From 2006 to 2021, PMC offered a four-semester Master of Fine Arts course in creative writing known as the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program.

PMC offered women's athletics in the sports of basketball, cross country, softball, soccer, and volleyball.

The school was initially founded to broaden the learning experiences of the Pine Manor College students who were studying Early Childhood Education and Child Development, and to provide a quality preschool for families in the community.