As Yadkin College In the mid-19th century, the Methodist Protestant Church, which is now part of the United Methodist Church, became active in educational pursuits in North Carolina, and at the 1852 state annual convention in
Fayetteville,
Yadkin College was founded in northern
Davidson County. Following the
Civil War, the Yadkin College fell into financial difficulty, and had by the 1890s become a preparatory
high school. Yadkin College was officially named the predecessor of High Point University during its 100th anniversary in 2024.
As High Point College In 1921, after some years of consideration, the statewide governing body of the Methodist Protestant Church voted to establish a new college. Shortly afterward, the church accepted an offer from the citizens of High Point to contribute of land and $100,000 to the project, placing the new school in the city of High Point. The
Georgian-style campus, featuring some architectural elements of
Colonial Revivalism, was designed by R.E. Mitchell of
Washington, D.C., with assistance from
Herbert B. Hunter of High Point. High Point College would officially open on September 14, 1924. When the college opened, the campus consisted of three buildings, attended by nine
faculty members, with a student enrollment of 122. The same year, Yadkin College closed its doors, and its assets including its library and bell were transferred to High Point College. The steadfast growth that characterized the birth of the college ended with the Great Depression. In 1932–33, faculty salaries were cut and expenses were sometimes bartered. Despite a $50,000 fundraising campaign, the college declared bankruptcy on June 15, 1934.
As High Point University On October 9, 1991, High Point College was renamed to High Point University to reflect its expansion beyond a traditional college curriculum. In 2005, the university was , with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,450. Its operating budget was $35 million with approximately 100 faculty members. Since
Nido R. Qubein became president of High Point University in 2005, the growth of the university has had significant impact on the city, region and state. Qubein is the fourth highest-paid college president in the United States, paid $2.9 million a year. Since 2005, High Point University has grown from three academic schools to fifteen.
The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac in April 2016, noted that Qubein was the third-highest charitable donor to a university as president with total donations of $10 million to High Point University from 2006 to 2016. In 2010, the university announced plans to invest about $2.1 billion in overall growth in the next decade. At that time, High Point University had spent $1.2 billion on four new schools plus facilities, faculty, and student services.
Moody's Investors Service downgraded the school's
bonds and early 2012,
Businessweek reported that about $700 million in new building and campus upgrades were financed by borrowing. In addition to questioning debt levels,
Businessweek challenged whether the school's relationships with its lenders and vendors were at an appropriate
arm's length, citing in particular that the school spends large amounts on marketing with a public-relations firm headed by Qubein's daughter. The coverage challenged the college's claims that its reputation in higher education grew due to student academic achievement, rather than high-end student amenities and marketing strategy. In 2022, High Point University received a $32 million gift from the Rick and Angie Workman Foundation to establish the new dental school, which welcomed its first cohort of students in the fall of 2024. High Point University named its dental school the Workman School of Dental Medicine. In 2023, the university receiving money from Bergmann & Moore, LLC, a law firm that practices in the area of veterans' benefits and started a pro bono law clinic in the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law focused on helping veterans receive military benefits after they are denied. In 2024, Doug Witcher, the founder and CEO of Smart Choice, an insurance network based in the
Piedmont Triad, donated $20 million to High Point University, his alma mater. High Point University's School of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences and its 36,000-square-foot athletic center are named after him. On August 18, 2025, High Point University welcomed the largest freshman class and largest total enrollment in High Point University's history. The freshman class grew by 9.4% to 1,671 students. High Point University's total new undergraduate students grew by 8% to 1,780 students and the total enrollment grew 3.4% from 6,335 to 6,550 students. One week later, the university broke ground on the new John and Lorraine Charman Library, a $100 million library that will serve as the university's flagship library when it opens in 2027. High Point University received a $35 million lead gift from John and Lorraine Charman to help fund the four-story, 150,000-square-foot library that will be named in honor of them. == Academics ==