The Northern Lights College officially opened in September 1975. In the very beginning, it was a vocational school known as the BC Vocational School-Dawson Creek. It was primarily serving the Peace River Region. The curriculum for this school was divided into two parts: pre-apprenticeship and pre-employment. In May 1975, a Northeastern Community College was created. The college had held a 'Name the College' contest. From all the names that were submitted, 'Northern Lights College' was selected and that is how the college had finally gotten its name. It is affiliated to BCC and ACCC.
Northern Lights College has 5 campuses and 3 Access Centers. The first campus is located at Dawson Creek. It is a city near the eastern edge of the Peace River Regional District. The second campus is located at Fort St. John. Fort St. John is a city in northeastern British Columbia. It is the most populous in the Peace River Regional District. The third campus is located at Fort Nelson. Fort Nelson is a community in northeast British Columbia in Canada. The fourth campus is at Tumbler Ridge. It is a district municipality situated on the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. The fifth campus is at Chetwynd, which is also situated on the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.

The three Access Centers are situated at Atlin, Dease Lake, and Hudson's Hope. There are three major Centers of Excellence at Northern Lights College- the Centers of Excellence Aerospace, the Centers of Excellence Clean Energy Technology and the Centers of Excellence Oil and Gas. The college has Aboriginal Gathering Spaces at the campuses of Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Dawson Creek, and Chetwynd.