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In 1847, during one of the great college-building eras in American history, Rockford Female Seminary was chartered by the Illinois legislature. The citizens of Rockford (population 2,500) pledged $3,500 to erect a building for the ambitious enterprise. Anna Peck Sill became the first principal of the seminary, taking the post "on her own responsibility" - that is, without wages or promises of students. Enrollment grew quickly. The first classes were held in the old downtown courthouse. Soon, however, the seminary moved to its own campus between the Rock River and Seminary Street. More than a century later, in the mid-1960s, the college moved to its present location at the eastern edge of the city. Rockford College was an educational pioneer from the very beginning. In the 1840s, when Americans still doubted the value of educating women, the decision to make the curriculum at Rockford Female Seminary as demanding as that of a men's college was a bold one, and the college continued to display its pioneering spirit in the decades that followed. In 1882, Rockford Female Seminary granted its first bachelor's degrees. In 1892, Rockford Female Seminary became Rockford College. The college was involved early in the development of adult education, offering the first such courses in 1919. In 1952, responding to a need in the community, the college opened its Learning Resources Center to help young people and adults improve their academic skills. Men were fist admitted to classes during World War II, when Rockford College offered cooperative educational programs with the Illinois Institute of Technology. Rockford College became fully coeducational in 1958. Rockford College provides liberal arts, pre-professional and professional programs for degree-seeking students and for individuals seeking personal career growth. The college encourages in its students the fullest development of intellectual capabilities, creative expression, and community responsibility.

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