- By Anshika Verma
- Wed, 17 Sep 2025 04:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Top Oldest Colleges in India: Delhi is considered as the hub of education. Over the years, Delhi has witnessed various cultural movements, political changes, and educational advancements and developments. There are various prestigious and oldest universities and colleges that are popular for their educational system and a wide range of curriculum. These colleges have given India’s most powerful politicians, reformers, and academicians.
Delhi’s educational institutions, renowned for their diverse culture and blend of tradition with modernity, also provide world class opportunities for students to make their careers. In this article you will get a list of Delhi’s oldest and most significant institutions, and they continue to influence India’s future. Check out these top 7 oldest college in Delhi.
1.Zakir Husain Delhi College: Zakir Husain Delhi College is considered as one of the oldest colleges in Delhi University, that was established in the year 1969. This college was named to honour the contributions made by Zakir Husain in the field of education. It is the oldest college founded in the late 17th century, when Ghaziuddin Khan, Emperor Aurangzeb's leading Deccan commanders and the father of the first Nizam established a Madrasa.
This college offers quality education to students and a wide variety of courses and programmes such as BA (Economics Hons.), BCom (Hons.), BSc (Zoology Hons.), and MA (Political Science).
2. St. Stephen’s College: St. Stephen’s College was established on February 1, 1881 and is one of the oldest colleges in India. It was founded by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The Cambridge Mission was founded by Dons from the University of Cambridge, Canon Samuel Scott Allnutt served as the first principal of this college.
This college offers several courses including B.A. (Hons.) Economics and B.A. (Hons.) English, with popular science courses such as B.Sc (Hons.) Chemistry, B.Sc. (Hons.) Physics, and B.Sc (Hons.).
3. Hindu College, Delhi: Hindu College was established in the year 1899 and it has a long and illustrious history. It was founded by the late Shri Krishna Dassji Gurwa. In the NIRF Rankings 2023, Hindu College ranked 2nd among all the colleges in India and got A+ NAAC Accreditation. This college is also popular for its outstanding education system and provides quality education to students.
This college offers various courses such as B.A. (Hons.) in English, Economics, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Music and many more other programmes.
4. Ramjas College, Delhi: Rai Kedar Nath, who was a popular academician and philanthropist founded Ramjas College in the year 1917 with a group of visionaries. This college offers a huge campus, esteemed faculty members, and cutting-edge facilities. The college offers a wide range of courses, extracurricular activities and many other facilities. It is also considered as one of the most modest colleges in Delhi.
This college provides various courses to students such as BA,B.Com, B.Sc, several undergraduate courses and postgraduate specialisation in various fields.
5. Jamia Millia Islamia: Jamia Millia Islamia was established in 1920 by visionaries like Shaikhul Hind Maulana Mahmud Hasan and Dr. Zakir Husain. It is one of the most prestigious central universities which is located in Delhi. In Urdu, ‘Jamia’ means ‘University’, whereas ‘Millia’ means ‘National’. Hakim Ajmal Khan served as the first chancellor of Jamia in 1920.
This college offers a wide variety of courses and programmes including Engineering (B.Tech), Law (BA LLB), Architecture (B.Arch), and Medical (BDS) and several specialisation for students as well.
6. Kirori Mal College (KMC): Kirori Mal College (KMC) is one of the most prestigious colleges of Delhi located in North Campus and was officially established in the year 1954. This college was established as Nirmala College by American Jesuits. It is popular for its educational system and academic excellence and a rich extracurricular culture in theatre, art, and music. It is one of the top priorities of students while choosing institutes.
This college offers various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes such as BA, B.Sc , B.Com in various disciplines and specialisation, postgraduate programmes like M.A. and M.Sc.
7. Hansraj College: Hansraj College is a well-known, large constituent college of the University of Delhi which was established in the year 1948 and offers various courses in Arts, Science, and Commerce. This college holds top rankings in various rankings whereas it is ranked in the 3rd position in the recently announced NIRF Rankings 2025. It has an impressive campus, strong alumni network, and high standards of cleanliness.
This college provides various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes for students BA in Economics, B.Sc specialisation in Chemistry, Botany, and Computer Science and more courses.