The State University of New York at Old Westbury was founded in 1965 by the State University of New York Board of Trustees. It began in 1968 at Planting Fields, the former Coe Estate and arboretum located in Oyster Bay, New York. In 1971, the College moved to its present Old Westbury site in Nassau County on Long Island — the estate formerly owned by agriculturist, industrialist, sportsman and philanthropist F. Ambrose Clark.

Students enrolled at the College can select a course of study from one of 13 departments: American Studies; Biological Sciences; Business; Chemistry and Physics; Computer Information Science; English Language Studies; Humanities and Languages; Mathematics; Politics, Economics and Society; Psychology; Sociology; Teacher Education; and Visual Arts. At the graduate level, a Master of Science degree in Accounting is offered.

The College enrolls approximately 3,000 students (78 percent full-time and 22 percent part-time).