Unity is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and is classified among "M3: Master’s Colleges and Universities – Small programs".

Initially founded as a residential institute in Unity, Maine, the university expanded into online education in 2016 which grew both its enrollment and number of academic programs.

[1] The university moved its online program to the Pineland Farms campus in New Gloucester in 2019 and later relocated their administrative headquarters there.

The founders, a group of local business people, were looking for ways to counter economic decline in the town of Unity.

President Wilson Hess, a professor who was selected to lead the college in the middle of the crisis, led fundraising efforts to put Unity on a firm financial footing.

[12] The proposed sale of the Unity, Maine campus and pivot towards distance education frustrated alumni and some faculty, who accused the school of drifting from its environmental mission.

[13] Also in 2020, Beth Bing, a former employee, plead guilty to making unauthorized purchases on her college credit card and using fraudulent email and phone communications.

In 1992 the Unity College women's cross country team won the NAIA Division 5 New England Championship.