The college was approved by the State University of New York in 1965, and the County Board of Supervisors authorized the college in 1966. The first class, numbering 221 freshmen, entered in the Fall of 1967 at a temporary campus in the Village of Ilion. The temporary campus was the upper floors of the Remington Arms Company. The current, permanent campus came into use in 1971. Herkimer College offers programs leading to associate degrees or certificates in several dozen program areas. The college has partnered with Cazenovia College to offer a bachelor's degrees in "Criminal Justice and Homeland Security" and Inclusive Early Childhood on the Herkimer campus. The College's Internet Academy offers 20 degrees, three certificates and more than 150 courses, as well as support services, completely online.
On-campus housing
Campus Meadows Campus Meadows is the largest residential quad and offers several different styles of apartments including townhouses, one-bedroom flats, two-bedroom flats and dorm-style flats. Each apartment includes a full kitchen, living room and bathroom. Furnished four-person apartments, double occupancy bedrooms College Hill Apartments College Hill offers several styles of apartments including two single bedrooms, two bedrooms shared and one double bedroom. Each apartment includes a full kitchen, living room and bathroom. Reservoir Run The newest of the on-campus housing quads is Reservoir Run, featuring four–person suite style apartments. Each apartment includes a living room, full kitchen with microwave, laundry room, four single bedrooms and two bathrooms. This residential community is primarily reserved for second-year students. Furnished four-person apartments, single occupancy bedrooms
Athletics
Herkimer's athletic program began with five sports in 1970, under the direction of Tom LaPuma, and has grown to include 19 varsity offerings. With its growth has come great success with 52 NJCAA National Championships, 100 Region III titles, 142 Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference championships and 29 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year awards. In 2013-14 and 2014–15, Herkimer ranked first in the nation among two-year non-scholarship athletic programs by winning the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators Cup. The award recognizes excellence in two-year colleges, based on athletic success in championship competition.
