Here Are The City’s Oldest Colleges Which Have Stood The Test Of Time!

Bangalore has always been a hub of educational institutions due to its excellent weather and developing status as a metropolitan city. The pillars of the city are its oldest institutions that have seen the growth of the youth through their formative years. Check out six of the oldest colleges that have stood the test of time with great pride and dignity.

Central College

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Picture Credit: Deccan Herald

What began in 1858 as the ‘Bangalore High School’ with a mere five students turned into the Central College, First-Grade College in 1875. In 1916, when the University of Mysore was first established, Central College was one of the two colleges under its jurisdiction. On July 10, 1964, it earned its new name as Bangalore University, which today binds several colleges in the city under its domain. In 1964, the Bangalore University offices shifted to the Jnana Bharathi campus at Mysore Road. The college has turned out several eminent alumni including 3 Bharat Ratna awardees and even the famous cricketer, Rahul Dravid. 

St. Joseph’s College

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Founded in the year 1882 by Fathers of the French Foreign Mission, St. Joseph’s College was set up to provide higher education to the Catholic community in Bangalore. A year after the college enrolled 350 students in its singular building, it was awarded the status of First-Grade College by University of Madras in 1926. The administration changed hands in the year 1937 and the Jesuits have been handling it ever since. While it was under the University of Mysore for a few years, It finally came under Bangalore University in 1967. The college shifted from its original campus at Residency Road to the current Lalbagh campus in 2001. It has extended its autonomous status from the years 2016-2022. 

Indian Institute of Science

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Built in the year 1909 with great efforts from Jamsetji Tata, the premier institution is also called the ‘Tata Institute’. Born out of his vision to bring technology and scientific research to India, he invited Swami Vivekananda to help draft his plan for Lord Curzon in 1898. After the selection of Bangalore as the location by Sir William Ramsay, the constitution of the institution was approved and Vesting Order to establish it was signed by Lord Minto, the Viceroy. In 1911, the Maharaja of Mysore laid the foundation stones and soon after, academics began on 24 July. In 111 years of its history, IISc has climbed zealously in prestige through its various disciplines. The status of Institute of Eminence which was granted by the University Grants Commission in 2018, was a mark of its eminence. 

University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering

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Born as Government Engineering College in 1917, it was one of the first five engineering colleges in the country. The engineering colleges in Madras and Poona lacked the capacity to take any more students. Hence, the state of Mysore received its first engineering college founded by Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya, the Diwan of Mysore. In 1965, the name University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering was given to honour him. One of the few technical institutions to receive the University status in the country, it offers courses at various levels in the disciplines of Engineering and Architecture. Today the university has two campuses in the city: one near Vidhana Soudha at KR Circle which has most of the engineering branches and another campus within Bangalore University’s Jnana Bharathi premises that houses the civil engineering and architecture departments.

BMS College of Engineering

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Established in 1946 by Bhusanayana Mukundadas Sreenivasaiah, the college is named after its founder and its administration is through the BMS Educational Trust. It was the first private engineering college in the country and is currently affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University. It began with just three undergraduate courses to its name but has expanded to a variety of courses at different levels of undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. The campus located near the famous Bull Temple Road at Basavanagudi currently enrolls over 5,000 students every year.

Mount Carmel College

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First established in Trichur as Carmel College under the Madras University in 1944, the campus was shifted to Bangalore in 1948. One of the first women’s colleges in the country, it celebrated a multitude of pioneering moments in women’s education in the state, such as the first women’s NCC wing in Karnataka. Located near Palace Road, the institution is affiliated to Bangalore Central University and has been awarded the status of ‘College with Potential for Excellence’ by the University Grants Commission. 

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