It is Alabama's oldest private historically black college and offers 17 degree programs.

[3] The history of Talladega College began on November 20, 1866, when two formerly enslaved men William Savery and Thomas Tarrant of Talladega, met in a Freedmen's Bureau convention with a group of newly freed men in Mobile, Alabama.

[4] From this meeting came the commitment, "We regard the education of our children and youth as vital to the preservation of our liberties, and true religion as the foundation of all real virtue, and shall use our utmost endeavors to promote these blessings in our common country."

Their leadership resulted in the construction of a one-room school house using lumber salvaged from an abandoned carpenter's shop.

Meanwhile, the nearby Coosa River Valley Baptist Academy, founded in 1852, was about to be sold under mortgage default.

Maj. Gen. Wager Swayne of the Freedmen's Bureau, was successful in getting the Freedmen's Bureau to commit to purchasing the land provided the American Missionary Association would buy the building and provide an organization structure for the new school.

The former Coosa Valley Baptist Academy building, now known as Swayne Hall, has remained in service as the symbol and spirit of the beginning of the college.

Embedded in the floor of the library is a mural of La Amistad – which school tradition says must never be stepped upon – referring to the mutiny by slaves, who took control of that ship and later won their freedom in a United States court, is depicted upon the surrounding walls.

The Dr. Billy C. Hawkins Student Activity Center completed in 2020, was named after the 20th president of Talladega College.

[8] The 47,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility includes a 2,000-seat gymnasium, dining hall, full kitchen, concession stand, coffee lounge, convenience store, fitness area, and multipurpose rooms.

[9][10] Talladega College has an open admission policy, admitting all applicants so long as certain minimum requirements are met.

The band is led by five drum majors and is accompanied by a danceline named "Dega Diamonds".