Delhi NCR

Meeting people at St. Stephen's College

St. Stephen's is a small, residential North Campus college founded in 1881, and its social life runs through century-old societies like the Shakespeare Society and the Quiz Club rather than a big commercial fest. If you want to find your people here, pick a society in week one and show up.

The story of St. Stephen's College

St. Stephen's College was founded on 1 February 1881 by the Cambridge Mission to Delhi and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, with Samuel Scott Allnutt as founder principal. It started in rented mansions in Chandni Chowk, moved to buildings at Kashmere Gate designed by Col. Swinton Jacob in December 1891, and in 1906 appointed Sushil Kumar Rudra as its first Indian principal. C.F. Andrews, later Gandhi's close friend, taught English here from 1904 to 1914.

When the University of Delhi was set up in 1922, Stephen's became one of its three original colleges, along with Hindu and Ramjas. On 1 October 1941 it moved to its current North Campus home, designed by Walter Sykes George around open courts, and the chapel followed in 1952. The college admitted a small number of women in its early decades, became all-male in 1950 and went co-ed again in 1975. Its centenary in 1981 was marked with a commemorative stamp released by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Stephen's is a Christian minority institution, which shapes its admissions: half the seats are reserved for Christian applicants and the college has long used interviews as part of selection. That process has been debated in courts and on campus for decades and remains part of the college's identity.

What the campus is like socially

Stephen's is small, residential and talkative. Much of college life happens in the residence blocks, the dining hall and the café, and the morning assembly is a fixture of the week. Students argue about everything, from economics to theatre, and the societies are where reputations are made.

The college has a reputation, inside DU and out, for polish and a certain self-regard, and Stephanians are usually the first to joke about it. Under the jokes is a genuinely close community: batches are small enough that you will know most of your year, and alumni stay oddly loyal for life.

Traditions every Stephanian knows

• Founder's Day: One of the biggest ceremonial dates on the college calendar. The Dalai Lama was chief guest at the 2018 celebration and spoke to students about pairing academic success with warm-heartedness.
• Morning Assembly: A college institution, and compulsory for first-year residents, who are expected to keep attendance high.
• Rajpal Memorial One-Act Play Competition: The Shakespeare Society's inter-college contest, about 50 teams strong and one of the most prestigious events on the Delhi theatre circuit.
• SAQC: Stephen's Annual Quizzing Championship, the Quiz Club's flagship, held around November.
• Trivia at the Tree: Lunch-break trivia run by the Quiz Club, with prizes, for anyone who wanders past.

Campus lore and insider spots

• The blocks named after principals: The six residence blocks are named after three principals: Allnutt, Rudra and Mukarji. Allnutt South became the first women's block in July 1997.
• The café: The college café keeps short hours, which only makes the lunch queue more of an event.
• Kashmere Gate days: Before North Campus existed, Stephanians studied in the old city, first in Chandni Chowk and then at Kashmere Gate.
• The library: The college library holds rare Sanskrit and Persian manuscripts, a quiet bragging right for history students.

How to find your people here

Join a society or the fest committee at St. Stephen's College in your first few weeks. DU friendships tend to form around a shared activity, not the classroom, and the North or South Campus ecosystem makes it easy to meet people from other colleges too.

Fests and societies at St. Stephen's College

Signature fests

• Annual Sports Bash
• K.M. Mathew Memorial Sports Debate

Notable societies

• The Quiz Club
• The Shakespeare Society
• Social Service League

Societies worth knowing at St. Stephen's College

• The Shakespeare Society: Instituted in 1924, it calls itself the oldest collegiate theatre society in India. Its national festival draws more than 1,000 students.
• The Quiz Club: Founded by Shashi Tharoor in 1974. Runs SAQC, Quizzotic and the interdepartmental quiz, and quizzes on everything from science to Taylor Swift.
• Civil Services Forum: Runs talks and strategy sessions for students preparing for the civil services, a long-running Stephen's ambition.
• Social Service League: The college's community service society, one of its oldest student bodies.
• Debating Society: Part of the college's argumentative reputation and a regular on the Delhi debating circuit.

Careers, internships and placements

Stephen's has its own placement cell, and economics graduates in particular move into consulting, finance and analytics. But the college's career story has always been wider than campus hiring: graduates head to law school, journalism, publishing, academia, civil services and postgraduate study abroad in large numbers.

Societies work like a second CV here. The Quiz Club, Shakespeare Society and Civil Services Forum are recognisable names to interview panels, and many alumni trace their careers back to them.

Notable alumni

• Shashi Tharoor: Diplomat, author and MP. He founded the college Quiz Club in 1974 while a history student.
• Ajay Banga: Former Mastercard CEO and president of the World Bank Group since June 2023. Studied economics at Stephen's.
• Montek Singh Ahluwalia: Economist and former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.
• Konkona Sen Sharma: Actor and director, an English Honours graduate known for Page 3 and Omkara.
• Amitav Ghosh: Novelist, author of The Shadow Lines and the Ibis Trilogy.
• Barkha Dutt: Television journalist and English literature graduate.

Rivalries and eternal debates

Hindu College next door is the eternal rival, especially in Economics, and the two have been compared in every best DU college thread for decades. The rivalry is even a running joke in DU student media. SRCC joins the debate every admission season, and Miranda House students have plenty of opinions about Stephanian self-regard.

What St. Stephen's College is talking about now

In 2026 Dr. Susan Elias was announced as the college's first woman principal, a historic moment that also led to a dispute with the University of Delhi over the selection process. Students have followed the story closely.

Meeting people at St. Stephen's College by interest

A lot of friendships here form around a shared interest rather than a class or a hostel wing. If you are into quizzing, volunteering and social impact, theatre and dramatics, poetry and open mics, and reading and book clubs, those pages cover where that scene actually happens in India and how to find people near you who are into the same thing.

Colleges nearby

St. Stephen's College sits close to Hindu College, Ramjas College, and Kirori Mal College, all part of the same Delhi NCR student scene. Cross-college friendships often start at inter-college fests, hackathons, or shared-interest communities rather than in class.

Similar campuses across India

If you are looking beyond your own campus, students at Zakir Husain Delhi College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Daulat Ram College, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College share a similar campus culture, and Zyber works the same way at each: showing you verified people nearby who match on interest, intent, or timing.

Zyber on campus

Zyber is live at St. Stephen's College, matching you in real time with people nearby who share your interests or your drive, with verified profiles only.

New to St. Stephen's College? Start here

If you are just starting out, these freshers guides are written for exactly this moment: first week of college checklist, how to choose societies in college, making friends beyond your branch, and internship in first year.

See meeting people in Delhi NCR, events in Delhi NCR, the freshers guide, the Meet People pillar, or read what Zyber is.