Calumet College was founded in 1970, sixth of the eight undergraduate colleges. It was initially housed in the Steacie Library and later at Atkinson. The unique character of Calumet College life and governance developed during the many years in Atkinson when Calumet served only commuter students. Master Eric Winter opened the college's first computer lab and introduced computer-related college courses. In 1991, through the leadership of Master Peggy Keall, Calumet College and Calumet Residence buildings were opened. Calumet is affiliated with the Faculty of Health and the Schulich School of Business.

Calumet aims to provide services, facilities and opportunities for students in all aspects of university life: academic, social, cultural and recreational. All members of the Calumet community, students, Fellows, alumni, alumnae and administration are encouraged to participate.

Behind all of Calumet's activities there is a fundamental point of view, a theme, which celebrates the individual. It cherishes the differences among its students; it seeks to demonstrate the role of lively discussion and eventual consensus through mutual tolerance and understanding. Calumet College Council (CCC) and Calumet Residence Council (CRC) provides opportunities to get more involved in college life. CCC publishes the college paper, The Pipe (http://calumetpipe.ca), its name suggestive of its role in the flow of information, and organizes social events and recreational sports. The college organizes workshops, symposiums, seminar series and social events. Calumet College’s focus has been around its mandate or theme: Enterprising Minds, which evokes its academic focus on psychology and business, and also its commitment to enhancing the intellectual and social experience of students. Several cocurricular events and activities enrich the student experience. Students can benefit from help provided by the SPAs (student peer advisers) in the areas of essays and assignments, stress management, time management, course selection and academic policies.

Recreational activities of the college are extensive. Calumet teams play in a wide range of intramural sports: hockey, broomball, water polo, softball and soccer to name a few. In some sports there are men's and women's teams, while others are coed. Usually there are separate teams for highly competitive and for recreational athletes. All students with a desire to play are encouraged to participate.

The Calumet Residence consists of 43 six-person coeducational suites. Suites normally have four single bedrooms and one double. Each suite also includes a lounge area, a kitchenette and two bathrooms. The suites are grouped into seven houses, each with a don: the entire residence is overseen by the residence life coordinator. Suite members are responsible for cleaning their own room; the cleaning of the common spaces, such as kitchens, lounges, entrances and stairwells, is shared by all suite members. Network drops in each room allow “res” students with their own computers to join the Calumet computer network and enjoy high quality access to e-mail, University library catalogues and the Internet.

Throughout the year, students spend time organizing a variety of social activities including dances, movie nights, gala dinners and other events. Much of the activity is formed around the interests of involved students.

The student government, Calumet College Council (CCC), is entrusted with the monies collected from the student body and the disbursement of those funds on activities and services for the benefit of all students. Elections for positions on CCC occur in March and shortly after that planning is initiated for the activities for the next school year.