[6] The school was founded as Trenton Business College on October 1, 1865, by Henry Beadman Bryant and Henry D. Stratton, operators of the Bryant and Stratton chain of private business schools.

The school was located in Temperance Hall at the corner of South Broad and Front Streets in Trenton, New Jersey.

[7] In 1920 the institution moved to East State Street in Trenton and officially became known as Rider College.

In 1957 Rider Business College introduced liberal studies leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree.

[11] As of 2023, the school has experienced financial difficulties and a loss of a fifth of its student body due to declining enrollment.

Built in 2011, Lynch Adler Hall is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certified, 21,250-square-foot (1,974 m2) building.

It also holds a major collection of Delaware Valley newspapers reaching back to the 18th century.

[19] On March 30, 2007, 18-year-old student Gary DeVercelly died of alcohol poisoning after heavy drinking at a Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house.

[20] The incident was tied to a longstanding hazing tradition involving dangerous quantities of alcohol.