Queen Mary’s College is best known as a pioneer in the task of empowering women through education. It was started in 1914 by the British Government as Madras College for Women. With a modest intake of 33 women students at the time of inception, it has, over the 108 years of its existence, grown phenomenally from an Intermediate to a tertiary level institution and on to a full-fledged premier institution. Today it caters to over 5000 women students. It is the first government college to go in for accreditation by NAAC and was accredited with ‘4 star status’ in 1999. The college was granted autonomy in 1987. The college has gone in for re-accreditation and currently enjoys ‘A’ Grade.

The scenic and sprawling campus of 17 acres located on the famed Marina and overlooking the magnificent vista of the Bay of Bengal, symbolizes the history of its endeavours to reach new horizons of knowledge. This college has launched women into all spheres of life: its alumni have played decisive roles in governmental and non-governmental organizations, both nationally and internationally and have achieved global recognition.

Queen Mary’s College has been ranked 47 in the NIRF-2022 rankings. The wide cross section of disciplines include humanities (History, Sociology and Languages - English, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit and French), Applied Sciences like Computer Science, Clinical Nutrition, Home Science, Biochemistry as well as all the major Basic Sciences – Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. The college also offers Under Graduate courses in Geography, Physical Education and Music. Most of the departments on campus are either Post Graduate departments or full time research departments. Queen Mary’s College is blessed with the kind of academic environment where a student can evolve from an enthusiastic undergraduate to a keen research scholar. There are 24 departments offering 23 Under Graduate programs, 18 Post Graduate programs and 13 M. Phil programs in the college, among which 12 departments offer Ph.D programs. Every department has its niche in a sprawling green campus. The college campus provides the perfect ambience for knowledge acquisition and expansion.

The college holds the record of being the first state college to introduce knowledge and skills programs since 2018-19 at the PG level and 2019-20 at the UG level, with the aim of becoming a center of excellence before its 125th anniversary to become . The introduction of electronic resources for all faculty courses from all departments on our college website is a jewel in the crown of QMC. The college's contribution to women's empowerment was recognized with News 18's Katral Award, presented to the college at a grand ceremony on December 15, 2021.

Queen Mary's College is an important part of Indian history, not just because it was founded in 1914 during colonial times. INA's Lakshmi Sehgal, who was a student at Queen Mary's College, is proof of this claim. There are many unknown female freedom fighters at the college, and the college annals are replete with accounts of college student involvement in the nationalist movement. The college has also sponsored female scientists, leaders, and administrators. Some of the famous alumni of the college include Dr. Rajammal Devadass, an emeritus nutritionist and vice-chancellor of the reputed Avinash Lingam University. The first three graduates of widowed children from South India have graduated from QMC. The three young widows Ammukutty, Parvathy and Lakshmi lived in the Icehouse widow house. They joined the college in 1917. After the completion of the course. Ammukutty continued as a teacher in Coimbatore and Lakshmi taught at her alma mater for several years.

To do the commendable, to create the memorable and to achieve the historic has proven to be the credo of Queen Mary's College. The most recent proud moment took place on May 25, 2022 when the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru. M.K. Stalin attended Queen Mary's College. The college was chosen to host the Youth Skills Development Festival. The event was coordinated by the Department of Rural and Panchayat Raj and the Department of Social Welfare and Skills Development. There was a festive atmosphere in the college with the kiosks of women's self-help groups. Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation has also conducted a sweeping exercise in spreading 'skill training' in various industries through their stalls. The event was not only glorious but also a chance to reach out to the student community regarding professional education. The Prime Minister wowed the youth attending the event as well as those who watched the live program with his motivational slogan 'Naan Muthalvan'. He shared his vision of preparing young people in state-owned industry through job training and boosting the state's economy through training and education for gainful employment.

Given the university's equal opportunity policy and egalitarian climate, education at Queen Mary's College is the privilege of a lifetime. It is a place where every student feels at home and is encouraged to discover themselves. A lifetime's journey of fulfillment begins here where young minds are tuned to become socially responsible individuals.