History

Commerce education in India began in 1886 with the establishment of a commercial school in Chennai (erstwhile Madras).

The genesis of the College is chronicled  in the year 1920, when, on the day of Basant Panchmi, seven leading businessmen headed by Lala Shri Ram established the Commercial Education Trust in Delhi. The Trust set up its first school in the same year under the name 'The Commercial School' at Charkhewalan in the walled city of pre-independence Delhi. The school introduced a Post-Matriculation Diploma Programme in Commerce under the supervision of Mr. R. K. Kumar, who later became the first Principal of the Commercial College. The inauguration of the Commercial College paved the entry of commerce education in the University system of Delhi.

The first batch of students of the Commercial College was enrolled on the first floor of a 'Hall' opposite the St. James' Church at Kashmere Gate. The classes began with twelve students and four faculty members from a hired bungalow at 8, Darya Ganj, New Delhi.

In 1926, the Commercial College got affiliated to the University of Delhi. Six years later, it was upgraded to the status of a Degree College and started awarding its graduates the B. A. (Pass) (Commerce Group) Degree of the University.

The College launched its annual magazine “Yamuna” in January 1928.

The B. A. (Honours) (Commerce Group) Degree was introduced in 1943. The same year witnessed the introduction of M. A. (Economics) course, followed by the introduction of Master's degree in Commerce in 1948. In 1949, when B.Com. (Honours) was instituted in the University of Delhi, the College also started offering the same.

In 1951, on the occasion of its Silver Jubilee, the Commercial College decided to specialize in the field of commerce and economics and hence rechristened itself as Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in recognition of the contribution made by its founder Sir Shri Ram. Three years later, in 1954, the College shifted completely to its present day campus in the North Campus, University of Delhi.

One of the major changes took place in 1957 when the College converted to a coeducational institution. This transition opened the doors for commerce and economics education for female students in the College and has led to a greater egalitarian representation of gender in the student community over the years.

Finally, the B. A. (Honours) Economics course was introduced later in 1958. The inclusion of B. A. (Hons.) Economics rounded the academic number of the courses offered by Shri Ram College of Commerce at undergraduate level.

The 1960s was a period of infrastructural expansion for Shri Ram College of Commerce. In 1963-64, the Students’ Centre (now renamed as SRCC Auditorium), Tutorial Blocks and the Girls’ Hostel Blocks were constructed. In the same year, the Swimming pool and the gymnasium were built under a Shramdaan Movement by the students. This made Shri Ram College of Commerce the first college in the University of Delhi to have a swimming pool, In 1967, the iconic bust of Late Sir Shri Ram was installed in the front lawns facing the Institution he built, giving the college campus an ethereal aura.

In the year 1968, the College launched “Business Analyst”, its research journal dedicated to active dissemination and promotion of original and contemporary research in the area of business, management, economics, finance and governance.

The College celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1976. In the same year, the acclaimed “Crossroads”, today amongst the most popular students’ festivals in the University, was organized for the first time.

The Girls Hostel was constructed in 1985, making Shri Ram College of Commerce the first amongst all co-educational colleges of the University of Delhi to have its own residential unit for its female students. A year later, the College celebrated its Diamond Jubilee.

The Placement Cell, Shri Ram College of Commerce was established in 1996. In 1999, the College introduced its Post Graduate Diploma in Global Business Operations (PGDGBO), a unique self-financed PG Diploma course with an aim to deliver quality management education for excellence in international business. The launch of PGDGBO rounded the total number of academic courses offered at Shri Ram College of Commerce since its inception.

In 2001, the College celebrated its Platinum jubilee. The Seminar Room of the College was constructed in celebration to 75 years of the institution. In 2007, the main College building was awarded the status of “Heritage Building” by the Government of Delhi.

Continuing with its goal to being a stakeholder oriented institution, the College completely transformed itself by upgrading its classrooms and tutorial rooms to modern standards of pedagogy by incorporating centrally air-conditioning systems, projectors and Wi-Fi.

In the early 2010s, the College redefined its vision from being “A College of national eminence” to exploring the global stage with a new, broader and more comprehensive vision “To become a College of Global Choice”.