Queen Mary’s College is best described as a pioneer in the task of empowering women through education. It was started in 1914 by the British Government as the Madras College For Women. With a modest intake of 33 women students at the time of its inception, it has over the 102 years of its existence, grown phenomenally from an Intermediate to a tertiary level institution and on to a full-fledged premier institution. Today it caters to over 4000 women students.
The scenic and sprawling campus of 17 acres located on the famed Marina and overlooking the magnificent vista of the Bay of Bengal, symbolizes the history of its endeavours to reach horizons of knowledge. This college has launched women into all spheres of life: its alumni have played decisive roles in governmental and non-governmental organizations, both nationally and internationally and have achieved global recognition.
Queen Mary’s College has been listed among the top 20 colleges of India and has a reputation for its women-centred programmes in Humanities, Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Nutrition and Home Management, Physical Education and Indian Music. The college is the first government women’s college in the state to offer a doctoral program in Botany besides offering doctoral programmes in Music, Geography and Tamil. It also offers free coaching for IAS/IPS examinations.