Lady Brabourne College

Lady Brabourne College (LBC) is an institution for women's education in Kolkata, India, admitting both undergraduate and post-graduate students and awarding degrees from the University of Calcutta. It is a state government administered college located in one of the more cosmopolitan localities of the city. The college was established in July 1939 at a rented house in Park Circus, Calcutta, following the initiative of then Prime Minister of Bengal, A. K. Fazlul Huq. It was named after Doreen, Baroness Brabourne, wife of The 5th Baron Brabourne, the Governor of Bengal at the time. After Lord Brabourne's death in February 1939, the next Governor, Sir John Herbert, laid the foundation stone on 26 August 1939. The college originally reserved 50 percent of seats for Muslim women, with the remainder for Hindus, Parsees, Sikhs, Jains, and other communities, and its hostel was initially exclusive to Muslim students, though Hindu students were later admitted due to a shortage of Muslim applicants. In 2017, the college was authorized to award Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, along with other colleges affiliated with the University of Calcutta.