Key facts
- According to the college, Pope Paul VI blessed the foundation stone of St. Paul’s College on 3 December 1964, during his visit to India for the International Eucharistic Congress.
- Dr. Samuel Mathai, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala, formally laid the foundation stone on 13 February 1965, in the presence of Archbishop Joseph Attipetty.
- Classes began on 13 July 1965 with a two-year pre-degree course; the first degree course, B.Com, followed in 1978.
- The college introduced co-education in 1983 and became affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University when that university was set up in October 1983.
- St. Paul’s was first accredited by NAAC in 2004 (B+), graded B in 2010 and A in 2016, and says it was re-accredited with an A grade in its fourth cycle in 2021.
A college founded to mark a papal visit
Most colleges around Kalamassery were set up for a practical reason: an industrial estate needed technicians, or a growing town needed degree seats. St. Paul’s has a more unusual origin. According to the college’s history page, it was founded by Archbishop Joseph Attipetty of the Archdiocese of Verapoly to commemorate Pope Paul VI’s visit to India for the 38th International Eucharistic Congress, held in Bombay (now Mumbai) in late 1964. The college is named after that Pope.
The college records two foundation-stone dates, and they are not a contradiction. The Pope blessed the stone on 3 December 1964. It was then formally laid at Kalamassery on 13 February 1965 by Dr. Samuel Mathai, then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala, with the Archbishop present. Classes began on 13 July 1965.
In 1965 Kalamassery was a young industrial area: HMT’s machine-tool factory had opened in the early 1960s and the government industrial estate was filling up (see our Kalamassery industrial history and HMT land and factory history). A local college meant the families arriving with those jobs no longer had to send their children to Ernakulam or Aluva for pre-degree classes.
Timeline, 1964–2026
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Dec 1964 | Pope Paul VI blesses the foundation stone during his India visit | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 13 Feb 1965 | Foundation stone formally laid by Dr. Samuel Mathai | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 13 Jul 1965 | Classes begin with a two-year pre-degree course | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 1978 | First degree course, B.Com, introduced | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 1982 | M.A. Economics introduced; college becomes a first-grade college | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 1983 | Co-education introduced | St. Paul’s College history page |
| Oct 1983 | Affiliated to the newly formed Mahatma Gandhi University | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 1998 and 1999 | Vocational degree courses in English (1998) and Chemistry (1999) | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 2004 | First NAAC accreditation, grade B+ | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 2010 | Second NAAC cycle, grade B | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 2016 | Re-accredited with grade A | St. Paul’s College history page |
| 2021 | Fourth NAAC cycle, grade A | St. Paul’s College home page |
The college lists B.Sc. Physics, B.Sc. Mathematics and B.A. Economics among its early degree courses but does not give their start years, so we have left them out of the table rather than guess.
From pre-degree college to postgraduate centre
For its first thirteen years St. Paul’s taught only the pre-degree course, the two-year stage Kerala used before the higher-secondary system replaced it. B.Com arrived in 1978, and in 1982 the college added M.A. Economics and was raised to first-grade status. That made it a full degree-and-postgraduate college a little under twenty years after it opened.
1983 brought two changes. The college admitted women students for the first time, and in October that year it moved to the newly created Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, which took over the colleges of central Kerala from the University of Kerala. St. Paul’s has stayed with MG University since then.
In the late 1990s it added vocational degrees in English (1998) and Chemistry (1999). As of October 2026 it offers postgraduate programmes in Economics, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Commerce and English, and the college says its Physics department is a recognised research centre of MG University.
Accreditation and management
St. Paul’s is a government-aided college run by the Archdiocese of Verapoly. Its NAAC record, as published by the college, runs from B+ in 2004 to B in 2010 and A in 2016. Its home page also says it was re-accredited with an A grade in the fourth cycle in 2021. In late 2026 the home page was marking 61 years of the college.
For students who need a room nearby, our practical guide Boys’ Hostel near St. Paul’s College covers routes and daily life. The wider education history of the area is in CUSAT’s timeline, NUALS history and the Government Polytechnic’s history.
What we could not verify
- Start years for B.Sc. Physics, B.Sc. Mathematics and B.A. Economics are not given on the college’s history page.
- We found no dated public record of jubilee events, so this page does not list them.
- The college’s pages do not give a date for the Physics department’s recognition as a research centre.
Why it matters near the NAD signal
St. Paul’s is one of the older institutions in the HMT Colony and NAD Road area, and each June it still brings a new batch of students into Kalamassery. For a young man studying there or working nearby, Ashraf Gents Hostel at the NAD Road signal offers twin-sharing rooms at an indicative ₹2,000–3,000 per head per month, which is confirmed on the call (+91 90746 23855). More history of the area is in the Kalamassery history archive.
Frequently asked questions
When was St. Paul’s College, Kalamassery founded?
The foundation stone was blessed by Pope Paul VI on 3 December 1964 and formally laid on 13 February 1965. Classes began on 13 July 1965.
Why is it called St. Paul’s?
According to the college, Archbishop Joseph Attipetty of Verapoly founded it to commemorate Pope Paul VI’s 1964 visit to India for the International Eucharistic Congress.
Which university is St. Paul’s affiliated to?
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, since that university was formed in October 1983. Before that, the college came under the University of Kerala.
When did St. Paul’s become co-educational?
In 1983, according to the college’s history page.
What is its NAAC grade?
The college reports B+ (2004), B (2010) and A (2016), and says it was re-accredited with an A grade in its fourth cycle in 2021.
Related guides
Sources
- St. Paul’s College: History
- St. Paul’s College, Kalamassery: Home page
- Wikipedia: Pope Paul VI
- Wikipedia: Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala
Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile and photos; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Last reviewed . How we write these guides: editorial notes. Map embeds © Google.
Cite this guide: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “St. Paul’s College, Kalamassery: Six Decades.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/st-pauls-college-kalamassery-history/ Plain-text (Markdown) version · quoting with a link back is welcome.