LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI

MOTTO
Let your light shine

CREDO
Loyola College believes in optimizing the potential and competency of the youth through critical thinking, academic quests and extension activities.

VISION
To form credible, innovative and socially committed citizens.

MISSION
•  To provide inclusive and empowering learning opportunities
•  To encourage scientific inquisitiveness for positive social transformation
•  To provide opportunities and resources for production and dissemination of innovative knowledge
•  To enable students become responsible towards self, family, and society
•  To nurture students with employability skills.

CORE VALUES
•  Academic Excellence
•  Personal Integrity
•  Social Responsibility
•  Social Justice
•  God Quotient

Introducing Loyola

Loyola College, a Catholic Minority Institution, was founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1925, with the primary objective of providing University Education in a Christian atmosphere for deserving students irrespective of caste and creed. 

It started functioning in July 1925 with just 75 students on the rolls in three undergraduate courses of Mathematics, History and Economics.

Loyola College, though affiliated to University of Madras, became autonomous in July 1978. It is autonomous, in the sense that it is empowered to frame its own course of studies and adopt innovative methods of teaching and evaluation. The University degrees will be conferred on the students passing the examinations conducted by the college.

UGC conferred the status of “College with potential for Excellence” on Loyola College in 2004 and confirmed the same in 2010. 

NAAC's re-accreditation score in 2012 (Third Cycle) is 3.70 out of 4.00 CGPA. 

UGC has elevated Loyola College to the status of “College of Excellence” for the period from April 1, 2014 till March 31, 2019. 

Today, there are 19 P.G courses and 19 U.G courses (Arts, Sciences and Commerce) and 12 special Institutes offering various programs to 12,107 students. 11 departments are offering M.Phil. programs and 12 departments offer Ph.D. programs. At present, 117 teaching staff members out of 286 hold doctoral degree. There are 182 non-teaching staff in service.

OUR  PHILOSOPHY

The College aims at training young men and women of quality to be leaders in all walks of life, whom we hope will play a vital role in bringing about the desired changes for the betterment of the people of our country, more particularly of the Dalits and other poorer sections of society. 

The aim of the college is to educate young men and women to serve their fellow men and women in justice, truth and love. It fosters an atmosphere of intellectual vigor and moral rectitude in which the youth of our country may find their fulfilment and achieve greatness as eminent men and women of service. 

Loyola College looks at education differently. It consistently and constantly works to help the students evolve into Competent, Committed, Creative and Compassionate men and women for and with others. This is the core of Jesuit Education. This is what has made Loyola climb to the top league of colleges in India.

OUR  STRENGTH

India Today magazine has repeatedly ranked the Arts, Commerce and Science departments of Loyola College amongst the top 3 in India from 2006 to 2013. Loyola College is also awarded “the Best Men's College in the City on the Employability skills” by PR Syndicate. 

The re-structuring of curriculum of both for UG and PG courses has drawn great appreciation from the stakeholders, namely the students, alumni, parents and industrial partners. Foundation courses and the Outreach programs in Loyola make a difference in the lives of the students making them socially conscious and responsible citizens of the country. 

The system of periodical teacher-evaluation done by the students has also been welcomed. Parents -Teachers meetings are regularly organized in Loyola, which ensure periodical monitoring of the progress of students.

MAJOR FACILITIES
• The central library has a collection of more than 1,02,000 books, 225 journals, 8,087 e-journals and 48,146 e-books.
• The Loyola Digital Library provides 24 hours access to the students.
• Loyola Men's Hostel and Loyola Women's Hostel together have 836 rooms and can accommodate 1650 students.
• Prayer Room
• Loyola Health Centre
• Food Court
• Wi-Fi
• Recreational Center
• Sports Pavilion and Gymnasium

MAJOR SERVICES
• Campus Ministry
• Student Counselling Centre
• Training and placement Cell
• Centre for Women's Studies
• RCDA Centre for differently-abled students.
• Loyola Students Support Services (LSSS)

A UNIQUE RECOGNITION
Loyola College received SIRO (Scientific Industrial Research Organization) in January, 2011.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, has recognized the quality of scientific research done in Loyola College by the approval granted to it on 01.04.2011 of tax exemption under clause (ii) sub section 1 of section 35 of the Income Tax Act 1961. This approval enables 175% tax exemption to the donors of Loyola College Society for the purpose of scientific research. 

IMPORTANT CELEBRATONS
• Ovations
• Feast of St Ignatius
• Lady of Lourdes
• Corpus Christi
• Christmas
• Pongal
• Deepavali

IMPORTANT EVENTS
• Independence Day
• Teachers Day
• Department Festivals
• Placement Day 
• Graduation Day
• Sports Day
• Women's Day• Enviro-day
• College Day

THE COAT OF ARMS OF THE COLLEGE
The coat of arms of the college consists of a shield divided into four quarters with a torch and an open book motif. The crest is the monogram and seal of the Society of Jesus: IHS (iota-eta-sigma), being the first three letters in Greek of the name, JESUS. The crest is in yellow, a colour that represents sunshine, joy and happiness. The laurel leaves above the crest do stand for victory and prosperity. The open book representing obtaining wisdom and other forms of intellectual information and the burning torch symbolising knowledge and searching for enlightenment are the fundamental tenets of the education imparted in this college, which challenges the students to live up to the college motto: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE (Matthew: 5.16) by their learning and good example so that they may become beacon- lights of hope and liberation to others.

History

Christ the King Church was designed and built in 1931 by Architect S. A. Gnana Pragasam Pillai at the behest of Rev. Fr. Francis Bertram S.J., founder Principal (1924-1935) and second Rector (1926-36) of Loyola College. It is smaller in length, width and height when it is compared to many other churches built by Jesuits in Tamil Nadu but definitely unique with its majestic exterior.

The 157 feet tall single German spire rising on the central portal along with the slender needle pinnacles set as corner elements, on the piers and the fliers of the buttress gives the church a flamboyant elevation. The spire which is an open work type in some measure is penetrated with tall lancet arches filled with tracery windows. Since the tall lancets relegate the use of rose windows to the background in the church it may be grouped under the lancet Gothic model as in the cases of Salisbury (England) and Milan (Italy) Cathedrals.

The portals (three in number) are not ornate and the Gothic features of the exterior and interior are usual but the distinctive feature the like of which is not to be seen in no other Gothic churches of the state is the flying buttresses. The fliers of them carry a two layered decoration in which crockets borne by thin stems surmount a sloppy line of standing quarterfoils. Attractive pinnacles cap the vertical buttresses (piers). The first pair of fliers near the central spire has beautiful capping pinnacles at the meeting point with piers that are taller than those behind them.