The institution was named after Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a ninth century hermit living in what is today Switzerland.

[1] It had two divisions: In 1959, Saint Meinrad reorganized into three divisions: In 1996, the seminary was censured by the American Association of University Professors for the firing of a tenured theology professor, Mercy Sr. Carmel McEnroy, allegedly without due process.

[4] In February 2019, after an internal investigation, Saint Meinrad added two priests to the Diocese of Evansville list of clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse.

Removed from public ministry in 2002, he spent ten years living in a supervised residence for offenders at Saint Meinrad.

It has also been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission or its predecessor, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, continuously since 1979.