The School of Nursing at the State University of New York at Albany was established in 1967 as a response to the need for nursing education in the Hudson Valley area. Full state registration for a five year period was achieved in May of 1971 and the National League for Nursing fully accredited the program in April of 1972. The University formally discontinued the school in 1979, although the phase-out of the program is documented in administrative records as early as 1976. While there was discussion of a need for a graduate program, the School of Nursing only offered a bachelor's degree.

The bachelor's degree in nursing program at the University began during the 1967-1968 academic year with a total of 14 students. Dr. Dorothy M. Major served as the school's first dean. By the 1975-1976 academic year, enrollment rose to 284 students. The largest specialty group on the faculty was in medical/surgical instruction flowed by maternal/child health.

In September of 1972, Judith Whitaker developed the Continuing Education component of the School of Nursing. Beginning with the first workshop in March 1973, the Continuing Education program helped practicing nurses remain abreast of new knowledge in the medical field. By 1974, the program held at least 10 different workshops each year attended by practicing nurses from throughout the country. It generated an enviable reputation of quality for a relatively new school of nursing. In 1979, the School of Nursing transferred this program to Russell Sage College.

An ongoing New York State budget crisis eventually forced the School of Nursing to close in 1979. The school experienced the imposition of financial constraints as early as 1976-1977. At the time, a presidential task force on priorities and resources at the State University of New York at Albany proposed a phase-out of its School of Nursing which was completed three years later.