Originally named St. Joseph's College for Women, the college was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, in response to the need for a day college for young women. The college received its provisional charter from the Regents of the University of the State of New York on February 24, 1916. After the college outgrew its original Brooklyn facilities at 286 Washington Avenue, it moved to its present site at 245 Clinton Avenue in 1918. The College's first baccalaureate degrees were conferred on fourteen graduates on June 17, 1920, and the first valedictorian was Beverly Stubbenhouser. The College was accredited in 1928 by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The Regents granted St. Joseph's College an Absolute Charter in 1929.