[1] The college closed operations at the end of July 2016 due to a significant budget shortfall and a continuing lawsuit against the federal government.

[6] In 1839, the Kentucky Sisters of St. Dominic obtained a charter to grant educational degrees and a campus was built along Bardstown Road, today's U.S. Route 150.

[6] In late 2003, St. Catharine Junior College received approval from the United States Department of Education to begin offering four-year programs.

The college was originally governed by the Officers of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters, with the Mother Mary Louis Logsdon, O.P.

In 2015, the Department of Education placed the college on heightened cash monitoring, requiring the school to distribute financial aid to students and then apply for reimbursement.

On June 1, 2016, St. Catharine announced that it would close at the end of July due to a $5 million deficit brought on by the construction of new residence halls, the health sciences building, and the new library.

The college was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Mid-South Conference (MSC) from 2008–09 to 2015–16.