Freed–Hardeman traces its origin to the 1869 charter of a private high school and college for Henderson, the
Henderson Male Institute. It was known at various times as the
Henderson Masonic Male and Female Institute,
West Tennessee Christian College, or
Georgie Robertson Christian College. It was named Georgie Robertson Christian College after George Ann "Georgie" Robertson. In the 1907 spring term Georgie Robertson Christian College closed.
N. B. Hardeman, a Georgie Robertson Christian College alumnus, and A. G. Freed worked together to establish a new institution, the '''National Teachers' Normal and Business College
to fill the educational void created in Henderson by the closing. The NTNBC was incorporated on May 21, 1907, but classes did not start until the fall of 1908. In 1919, it was renamed Freed–Hardeman College''' in honor of its founders. In February 1990, it became Freed–Hardeman University. The college did not accept African-American students until 1964, when its president, Hubert A. Dixon, stated that black students would be admitted in response "to the mistake of accepting federal funds". The first black graduate was Elizabeth Saunders in 1967. The university offers courses outside of the Henderson area in
Memphis, Tennessee. It also offers European study abroad programs based at the FHU facility in
Verviers, Belgium. Other opportunities include programs in Spain, Israel, Costa Rica, New York City, Canada, and Seoul. The university was granted an exception to
Title IX in 2016 allowing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity where conflict exists with religious tenets. During the 2019–2020 academic year, the university celebrated its 150th anniversary and a volume of university history,
By the Grace of God: The Story of Freed–Hardeman University, was published. ==Campus buildings==