The college was founded in Spokane in 1968 as the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education.

All four institutions approved the plan, which had students completing pre-nursing studies at their respective colleges then moving on to nursing studies at the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in Spokane.

The next year, Fort Wright College closed, ending its participation in the intercollegiate nursing education program.

In 2005, the Washington Legislature gave WSU $32 million to build a College of Nursing facility on what was then called the Riverpoint Campus - Now WSU Health Sciences Spokane - in downtown Spokane.

The PhD program began in 2007, and the newest degree, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), was added in 2012.