Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who envisioned a major publicly funded university system. Purchase would uniquely combine on one campus conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences. The site selected was a 500-acre working farm, originally the property of Thomas Thomas, a Revolutionary War hero.

Edward Larrabee Barnes was appointed master architect. His plans called for "a city within the country" where almost all the buildings were clustered around a great open space. Fields and meadows would be preserved. In addition to Barnes, seven other major architects helped to design individual buildings.

Construction of the campus began in 1967, and the first building finished was the Neuberger Museum, completed in 1971. It was to contain the works of American masters collected over half a century by Roy R. Neuberger.

Meanwhile, students were first admitted in 1968 in the Continuing Education program. The first matriculated students, 170 juniors, were admitted in 1971. The first commencement was held in 1973 and, in the fall of 1973, the first freshmen entered the college.