Mar Thoma College for Women, established in 1982, has, since the inception been an institution striving towards excellence in all spheres of higher education, catering to the educational requirements of women from various parts of the state. The college has played an instrumental role in the progress of the locality, contributing proactively to its growth and development. It has been particularly successful in molding generations of women into progressive thinkers and leaders contributing to the nation in multifarious ways. Over the years, the student strength has almost doubled and various new courses, including two PG courses, have been introduced to cater to the increasing needs of higher education in the region.
The college, initially affiliated to the University of Kerala, started functioning as a junior college, offering the third and fourth groups of Pre-degree courses with 92 students. When Mahatma Gandhi University was established in 1984, the college was affiliated to it. Science courses were offered since 1984. In 1991 the college was upgraded to a degree college. At present, it offers 8-degree courses – B.Sc. Mathematics (1991), B.Sc Zoology (1993), B.Com –Finance and Taxation (1995), B.Com-Computer Applications, B.A. History Vocational Archaeology and Museology (1998), B.A. English Vocational Administrative Assistant (1999), B.Sc Physics Vocational Applied Electronics (2001), B.Sc. Chemistry Model I (2006), 2 postgraduate courses – M.Sc. Zoology and M.Sc Mathematics, one Integrated Programme in Basic Science- Physics and two UGC sanctioned BVoc courses- Fashion Technology and Merchandising, Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Mar Thoma College for Women is included under Sections 2(f) and 12B of the University Grants Commission. The college is accredited at the B level (72.5%) in 2003, B+ level (2.63) in 2017 and A+ grade (3.47) in 2023 by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
The college, sprawling over an area of 10 acres, currently has a faculty strength of above 100. It serves as a district-level skill development center of ASAP and conducts certified DCA courses in association with the IHRD. Other significant facilities in the college include a language lab, History Museum, and a Biological Museum among others.
The student community of the college is a cross-section of society. The majority of the students of the college hail from socially and economically backward sections of the society. The total student strength at present is about 1000, of which SC/ST, OBC, and students from other minority communities constitute a substantial part. Being a women’s college, the institution has been significantly involved in the holistic development of young women for decades. It is the responsibility of the college to provide high-quality education for a broad range of students from all strata of society. The college has great potential to advance into a major higher educational institution in Kerala in the near future.
Being a premier institution in a backward region dominated by low-income families, the college has been striving to provide the best possible academic platform for underprivileged girls. Despite the challenges, our students have managed to bring laurels to the institution by being university toppers in the academic and non-academic arena. We have also enabled them to become financially empowered by helping them secure employment in reputed institutions. Besides the regular courses, the college also conducts certificate courses and vocational training programs, including tailoring classes, PSC coaching, foreign language classes, and bank coaching. These endeavors have hugely benefited our students who, in turn, contribute proactively to the welfare of the local community, thus contributing to its development. The institution has also been growing quantitatively as the increasing number of enrolments in various courses and the inclusion of new courses testify.