The college was named after the Scottish-born engineer and inventor Sandford Fleming, who is perhaps best known for his contributions to the concept of Universal Standard Time, and who was knighted in 1897 by Queen Victoria.

On 21 May 1965, legislation was introduced in Ontario establishing Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology by then Minister of Education William G. Davis.

St. Joseph's at Fleming,[7] a cluster of eight resident homes for 200 people, opened in 2004 and is the first long-term care facility to be built on a college or university campus.

Built in partnership with the City of Peterborough, the Wellness Centre provides athletic and aquatic facilities to students and the community.

In 1967 a campus opened in a renovated textile mill on McDonnel Street, and in 1968 the site was named the Stewart W. Daniel Building.

Students can combine these Certificate programs with a year of foundation credits to obtain a Visual and Creative Arts Diploma.

Other programs offered at the campus include Expressive Arts, Sustainable Building Design and Construction, Continuing Education, and Academic Upgrading.

In September 2008 the Frost Campus became home to the new joint degree-diploma in Ecological Restoration in partnership with Trent University.

The partnership, approved by Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities, allows students to access a combination of programs and services from both public and private institutions.

[12] In March 2022, the college launched a partnership with the semi-professional League1 Ontario soccer expansion team Electric City FC for the use of its Sports Complex for the club's home games during its 2022 season.

[14] Fleming College is noted for its excellence in environmental and natural resources sciences as well as unique programs in business, museum management and cultural heritage, and social services.

[citation needed]It also offers a number of post-graduate diplomas in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Aquaculture, and Environmental Visual Communication.