stella maris college

Stella Maris College (Autonomous) was founded in 1947 and began functioning on 15 August of that year in a small, two-storey building in Mylapore, Madras, (today Chennai), in Tamil Nadu, India. The present campus was set up in 1960. Managed by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, an international religious congregation founded by Hélène de Chappotin, (Blessed Mary of the Passion), a charismatic and visionary French missionary, the College is affiliated to the University of Madras. 

Our mission is derived from of the Franciscan way of life, re-contextualised in the secular, diverse and pluralistic Indian milieu. With an educational mandate for women’s empowerment, the College contributes to society and nation-building through promoting a culture of excellence in learning, teaching, and research, with a special emphasis on educating the most deprived and marginalised young women of Indian society. Our core values are responsible citizenship, a value-based life of continuous learning, and inclusivity. 

In 1987, the College was conferred Autonomous status by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the apex body of higher education in India. It introduced the Credit Based System in 1997, and since then has been able to offer innovative programmes and courses in its curriculum. It has been accredited with an “A” Grade with a CGPA of 3.68 on a 4 point scale. In 2016, the UGC conferred on the College the status of “College with Potential for Excellence.”