St. Stephen’s College, Delhi was promoted on February 1, 1881, with five students and three teachers in a small house near Chandni Chowk in Delhi. It is the oldest college in Delhi and one of the three original constituent colleges of Delhi University. The college was first affiliated with Calcutta University, later with Punjab University and finally Delhi University in 1922. It initially admitted only men and became a co-ed institution in 1975.
The College was established by a Christian mission from Westcott House, Cambridge. The Rev. Samuel Scott Allnutt was its founder and first principal.
Excellent academic education apart, St. Stephen’s offers rich and diverse range of extra-curricular activities. In particular student clubs and societies play an important role in students’ all-round; development. These include the “subject societies” (the English Literary Society, Physics Society, History Society, etc.); Debating Society, the Social Service League, the Shakespeare Society and Shakespeare Sabha (for English and Hindi dramatics), the Photographic Society, the Hiking Club, the Music Society, and so on. All Clubs and Societies function under the over-all direction of the College Registrar-of-Societies; in addition, each Club or Society has a Staff Adviser to guide and assist junior members. These Clubs and Societies form the hub of College activity, giving the students community a very packed annual calendar with the holding of co- curricular activities, including talks and discussions, and a wide range of cultural activities, including debates, dramatics, hiking and trekking, music, photography, fine arts, films, etc.
The 69-acre college campus is located in the North Campus of the University of Delhi and designed by the distinguished Welsh architect Walter Sykes George. The construction work was completed in 1941. The college had previously functioned from a campus in Kashmiri Gate, Delhi, housed in distinctive Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. This building now houses the Election Commission of Delhi.
St. Stephens houses an air-conditioned and automated library catering to the academic needs of senior and junior members of the college. The library is well-equipped with over a thousand books, magazines, daily newspapers and a separate archival section storing records pertaining to the history of the college.
Facilities for a number of sports including basketball, cricket, football, badminton, tennis, table tennis and squash are provided for on the college campus. The Francis Monk Gymnasium, the Ladies Common Room, and the Junior Common Room provide facilities for indoor sports and recreation. A chapel is open to all members for worship and meditation.
Undergraduate Courses
B.A. (Hons.): Economics/English/History/Philosophy/Sanskrit/BA.. Programme
B.Sc. (Hons.): Mathematics/Chemistry/Physics/Physical Science/B.Sc. Programme
Postgraduate Courses
M.A.: Economics/English/History/Philosphy/Sanskrit/Mathematics/Operations Research
M.Sc.: Mathematics/Physics/Chemistry/Operations Research
Placements
The placement cell of St. Stephen’s is student-run and organizes several activities and workshops to ensure students are industry-ready and get placed in reputed organisations.
Recent placement highlights – 2019-2020: The 2019-20 placement drive was a huge success, the highest CTC being as high as INR 26 LPA and the highest stipend being INR 60,000. The median CTC stood at INR 10.25 LPA. 150 companies participated in the 2019-20 campus recruitment drive, among which top recruiters included Morgan Stanley, Bain & Company, McKinsey and Company and A.T. Kearney, among others. St. Stephen’s also became the first institution to have had offers from recruiting firms such as The Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, London. Companies recruiting interns included Deustche Bank, Standard Chartered, Citibank and Ernst & Young among several others.
Undergraduate Admission- B.A. and B.Sc.
Selection Criteria: Academic merit in qualifying (10+2) examinations, aptitude test marks and performance in interview.
Eligibility: 10+2 in relevant stream from a recognized board with a minimum aggregate of 45% marks.
Admission Procedure:
Postgraduate Admission- M.A. and M.Sc.
Selection Criteria: Entrance exam marks and performance in personal interview.
Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline and specialization from a recognized university with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks.
Admission Procedure:
Diploma Admission
Selection Criteria: Entrance test scores.
Eligibility: 10+2 from a recognized board.
Admission Procedure:
Fees: INR 1.21-1.29 lakhs.
St. Stephen’s College has consistently been ranked among the top colleges of the country.
The college’s NIRF ranking (general category 2020) is number four.
The college is ranked at number one in the EducationWorld India Non-autonomous Colleges Rankings 2020-21.
Residential facilities are divided among six blocks in the campus named after former Principals of the college. The residential blocks are named Allnutt North, Allnutt South, Mukarji West, Mukarji East, Rudra North and Rudra South. These blocks have a capacity of residing 500 men and women. Each block is supervised by a member of the faculty functioning as block tutor. The rooms are spacious, well-lit and airy. Washrooms are provided on each floor and there are hot-water provisions during winter months.
Admission to residence facilities is one year at a time, subject to re-admission for the subsequent year.