It was the first comprehensive community college authorized and established as the result of legislation passed by the 1963 General Assembly of North Carolina.

Shortly after the passage of legislation establishing Sandhills Community College, H. Clifton Blue of Aberdeen, NC, led a group of prominent Moore County, NC, citizens in petitioning the State Board of Education to establish a community college in Moore County.

Upon approval of the petition, the citizens of Moore County voted in favor of a $1 million bond issue for capital construction and a tax levy for the maintenance of college facilities.

The buildings were designed by local architects Hayes-Howell and Associates, and built on 180 acres donated by Mrs. Mary Luman Meyer.

Sandhills Community College officially opened October 1, 1965, with classes being held in nine different temporary locations in the downtown area of Southern Pines.

At the conclusion of the five-year plan of study, graduates receive a high-school diploma from Hoke County schools and an associate of arts degree from Sandhills Community College.