Scottish Church College

Scottish Church College, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, is affiliated with Calcutta University and offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies. It is considered the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in Asia and holds an 'A' rating from the Indian National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Students and alumni are known as 'Caledonians,' after the college festival 'Caledonia.' On 8 November 2023, the college building was designated a GRADE-I Heritage Building. The institution's origins date to 13 July 1830, when it was founded as the General Assembly's Institution by Alexander Duff, the first overseas missionary of the Church of Scotland to India. Supported by Governor-General Lord William Bentinck, Duff initially opened the institution in Feringhi Kamal Bose's house near Jorasanko before it moved to Garanhatta in 1836. A new building, designed by John Gray and completed in 1839, incorporated architectural influences from Portuguese and English Palladian styles. Following the Disruption of 1843, Duff founded the Free Church Institution, which became one of the earliest affiliates of the University of Calcutta when it was established in 1857.