Isabella Thoburn College is the inaugural women's Christian college in South Asia. After the Methodist Episcopal Church's Women's Foreign Missionary Society (WFMS) was established in Boston to advance women's interests in India, its founder, Ms Isabella Thoburn, set out for India in 1869 as the first American woman Methodist missionary.

The institution began as a girls' school that Ms Isabella Thoburn established on April 18, 1870, in a single room in the Aminabad city centre market. There were just six girls at the time. By 1871, the school had grown and relocated to a home called Lal Bagh, formerly the residence of the last Nawab of Awadh's treasurer. Miss Thoburn's institution changed its name to Lucknow Women's College on July 12, 1886, and started offering Fine Arts courses under the direction of the University of Calcutta. This affiliation was dropped in favour of a new one with Allahabad University in 1894.

The college, still located in Lal Bagh, received its current name in Miss Thoburn's honour when she passed away from a cholera attack that year. The College relocated to the Chand Bagh estate, which is approximately 32 acres, in 1923, when it became an independent institution under the leadership of Ms Florence Nichols. It has stayed there ever since. Chand Bagh is short for "Moon Garden." The area formerly housed a royal garden. The first female President of the World Council of Churches was Sarah Chakko, the college's principal (1905–1954).

Currently, Lucknow University is associated with the College. Since the 1920s, it has built student dormitories, lecture halls, labs, a library, a College chapel, and a sizable hall on the Chand Bagh campus. The College offers five undergraduate programs that lead to the Bachelor of Arts (B.A. ), Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com. ), Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. ), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. ), and Bachelor of Library and Information Science degrees (BLISc). Additionally, it provides nine postgraduate programs leading to the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science degrees (M.Sc.).

The College's goal is to foster the development of female leaders who exhibit academic prowess, spiritual maturity, mental toughness, and moral uprightness, who will advance the causes of justice, love, truth, and peace and who are constantly seeking to improve. This satisfies the social accountability requirement to society. The institution's choice of site and property also mirrored this ambition.

• To build leadership qualities in pupils and teach them how to think and express themselves clearly.
• To create a community of faculty and students dedicated to seeking the truth and upholding moral perfection.
• To inspire women with a positive, contemporary approach while referencing our motto, rich cultural background, and tradition.
• To become a centre for social transformation, a force for linguistic, religious, and caste group unification, and an inspiration for young women to fight for eradicating societal ills.
• To instil in the students a feeling of national duty and to promote their active participation in the development of a modern India, free from exploitation, injustice, ignorance, poverty, suffering, and corruption.

Institute Highlights

Main Intakes

The main intakes are in August/September.

Application Process

Applicants can apply for admission to the college in two ways: online through the college website or by an education agent. 

Documents required for Admission

Academic Documents

• Transcript of 12th-grade
• Individual Mark sheet of 12th grade
• Character Certificate of 12th grade
• Provisional Certificate of 12th grade
• Migration Certificate of 12th grade

For Masters, include the following:

• Transcript of Bachelor's Degree 
• Individual Mark sheets of Bachelor's Degree 
• Character Certificate of Bachelor Degree
• Provisional Certificate of Bachelor Degree 
• Migration Certificate of Bachelor Degree 

Work Experience (if any)

Statement of Purpose (SOP)

Qualifications Required

• A minimum of 45% overall in the intermediate or equivalent examination is required for admission to the B.A. program.
• Mathematics as a B.Sc.

Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry (PCM) Physicists must pass an intermediate-level or equivalent test in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics with a minimum of 55% overall.

• B.Sc. Biology: 

Intermediate or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology with a minimum of 55% overall marks

FAQs

What are the fees to study at Isabella Thoburn College?

The costs depend upon the courses you apply for. The price ranges from 2-6 lakhs per year for Indian students.

Does Isabella Thoburn College offer student scholarships?

Yes, the institute does provide scholarships to students. For more info, see the scholarship section of the article.