In November 2001 a small group met in Chino, California to consider the feasibility of such a college, and unanimously agreed to establish a quality four-year liberal arts program that would in all aspects of its life and learning seek to reflect a Reformed Biblical perspective.

On January 1, 2004, Providence took full possession of a campus in Ontario, California, and began renovating its five main buildings into classrooms, dormitories, a library, a dining hall, and administrative offices.

The 17.5-acre residential college campus sits in the East Washington Village neighborhood on the north side of Pasadena, California, in close proximity to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and the Angeles National Forest.

[7] In December 2018, Providence Christian College moved within the Los Angeles area, this time into a church building and its adjoining offices in Old Town Pasadena next to Fuller Theological Seminary.

The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) since the 2015–2016 academic year.