[5] In 1889, priests from the Society of Saint Edmund fled to the United States after widespread anti-clericalism swept France.

Saint Michael's Playhouse was opened in 1947, bringing professional summer theater to Vermont, and giving students the chance to work behind the scenes.

To manage the influx of GI Bill students after World War II, Saint Michael's acquired temporary housing in the form of military barracks from Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester.

[7] In April 1970, the Board of Trustees approved a proposal by then-president Bernard Boutin to become a co-educational institution.

[14] Along with the initiatives in the cafeteria, Saint Michael's has an organic garden[15] that started in 2008 and has grown into a huge project for students and faculty alike.

The school also provides a free CCTA (Chittenden County Transportation Authority Bus Route)[clarification needed] commuter pass to all students, staff, and faculty.

Saint Michael's College also took the St. Francis Pledge, a promise, and commitment by Catholic individuals, families, parishes, organizations, and institutions to live their faith by protecting the environment and advocating on behalf of people in poverty who face the harshest impacts of global climate change.

Classes are small and hands-on learning is emphasized, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1[20] Saint Michael's houses the following honors: Phi Beta Kappa; Delta Epsilon Sigma, the Catholic honor society; Pi Sigma Alpha for Political Science; Omicron Delta Epsilon for Economics; Phi Alpha Theta for History; Kappa Delta Pi for Education; Psi Chi for Psychology; Sigma Xi for Science and Technology; Pi Mu Epsilon for Mathematics; Beta Beta Beta for Biology; Kappa Tau Alpha for Journalism and Mass Communication (the only KTA chapter nationwide housed at a small college); and Sigma Beta Delta for Business, Management, and Administration.

[21] Undergraduate programs include over 30 majors and minors, combined with a liberal studies curriculum and experiential learning requirement.

The most popular undergraduate majors at Saint Michael's College, based on 2021 graduates, were:[23] Students may participate in study abroad programs, which cost the same as a semester on campus.

Eighteen varsity teams participate in the NCAA's Division II Northeast-10 Conference; Alpine and Nordic skiing are members of the multi-divisional Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA), and women’s ice hockey competes in Division I New England Women's Hockey Alliance.

For men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing (Alpine and Nordic), soccer, swimming & diving, and tennis.

Student-led programs include men's and women's rugby, billiards, ping pong, floor hockey, volleyball, and indoor soccer.

The campus also offers various club sports such as cycling, dance, rugby (men's and women's), ski & snowboarding, ultimate frisbee, and water polo.

Student publications include The Defender,[30] a weekly newspaper, and the Onion River Review,[31] a literary magazine.