Maulana Azad College

Maulana Azad College is a government college of liberal arts, commerce and science in India, located in central Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The college is fully government-administered. It is located near the junction of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and S. N. Banerjee Road, popularly called "Lotus crossing".
It is affiliated to the University of Calcutta. The college also offers numerous courses in languages associated with Muslim culture, such as Urdu, Arabic, and Persian. The college offers both post-graduate (English, Zoology and Urdu) and under-graduate courses in a number of subjects in the three streams of arts, science and commerce. It is accredited an ('A+') grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2025. The college has been given the status of 'Centre of Potential for Excellence' by UGC.It is one of the best college under Calcutta University.
Maulana Azad College was founded on 9 December 1926 by Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, then Governor of Bengal. It was originally called Islamia College. The institution was the culmination of efforts of notable Muslim leaders like A. K. Fazlul Huq, then minister of education of Bengal, Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury and Sir Abdul Rahim. With an objective to promote Islamic learning and general education among the Muslim population in British India and with the sustained efforts of contemporary education minister of Bengal, A. K. Fazlul Haque, on 9 December 1924, Lord Lytton, the contemporary Governor of Bengal laid the foundation stone of Islamia College under the affiliation of University of Calcutta. The first Principal, A. H. Harley, formerly, faculty of Oriental Languages at the University of Edinburgh.
In the 1940, the future founding father of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, studied at the college and stayed at the Baker Hostel.
After the Independence of India, the college was renamed to Central Calcutta College and opened admissions to students of all faith. Professor F. J. F. Pereira was made principal of the newly renamed college.
In 1960, the college was renamed to its current name Maulana Azad College in the memory of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. In 1990, the college became a co-educational institution. In 1999, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh visited the college and the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Baker Hostel.
On 23 February 2011, the government of Bangladesh and India installed a bust of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at room 23 and 24 of Baker Hostel of the college. The All Bengal Minority Youth Federation demanded the removal of the bust of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the museum as they deemed the statue offensive to Islamic sensibilities. The demands were rejected by Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal.
The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts, commerce and science in various streams. These are: B.A, B.A (Hons), B.Com. (Hons), B.Sc. (Hons) at UG level. And M.A and M.Sc. at the PG level. The fees are also nominal lying around ₹1,500/year for UG courses and around ₹4,000/year for PG courses.
The college has an online application process for all its courses. Admission into undergraduate courses are merit-based. While that of postgraduate courses is done by both merit as well as an admission test. The 12th Class Finals cutoff percentage lies around ~90%.