Emmanuel College was founded in 1919 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as New England's first women's Catholic institution. Emmanuel began as a day college, preparing women for education, nursing, and social work careers. Despite commuting, students were interested in various co-curricular activities, such as student newspapers and athletics. The physical campus expanded over the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, as did the student population, academic programmes, and activities, as well as the addition to college land. From 1946 until he tragically passed away in 1963, John F. Kennedy served on the college's advisory board.
It became a residential college during the 1950s and 1960s building boom. During the 1970s. Emmanuel College faced an uncertain future in 2000 when it was cash-strapped and had fewer than 500 students enrolled. In 2001, Emmanuel began admitting men and enrolled its first undergraduate male students. Emmanuel's 17-acre campus is near the Longwood Medical District in Boston's Fenway neighbourhood. The 11-building gated complex includes seven academic buildings and four dormitories. The original Administration Building, the Cardinal Cushing Library, the Jean Yawkey Center, Marian Hall, the Maureen Murphy Wilkens Science Center, and Merck Research Laboratories-Boston are all academic buildings. Famous alumina includes Mary McGrory, Nancy Kerrigan, and Brian Gallivan. They have a global ranking of #501 and a national rank of #151 out of 210.