Prafulla Chandra College was formerly known as City College of Commerce, South Kolkata. The evening unit of the South Calcutta Branch was exclusively meant for the boys and it had B.Com (honours and general) and B.A.(honours and general) courses. The Prafulla Chandra College can be termed as the pathfinder regarding different aspects. The foundation stone of the South Calcutta building was laid on January 6, 1954 by the late Harendra Kumar Mukherjee, the then Governor of West Bengal. Few years later, the evening unit of South City College of Calcutta became an independent college and was named after the memory of Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy.
Prafulla Chandra College is one of the largest and finest educational institutions in West Bengal. The college was established by the Brahmo Samaj Education Society as the part of social movement of Sadharon Brahmo Samaj of India. The objective of the college is to ensure the implantation of proper education and development of the ability to make sensible decisions in the students. The college also gives good advice to the students from the experience and knowledge. Prafulla Chandra College aims at encouraging the students to gain confidence to prepare themselves in university exams and achieve the academic excellence. It provides its students with academic and allied support to understand the opportunities and threats of present day life. It assists the students to develop an attitude. It provides inexpensive education without compromising on the quality of the education and improved standard of infrastructure to the deserving students and also creates a proper teaching-learning environment along with maintaining the physical and ecological environment. The college also develops modern technology-oriented infrastructure required for making the modern learning process more interesting. The admission process is easier and most interesting. The college utilizes the human, financial and other resources more efficiently and effectively. Prafulla Chandra College is governed on the basis of democratic and participative management style.
Various courses offered in this college are Bengali, English, History, Hindi, Geography, Political Science, Economics, Mathematics, Information Technology, Accountancy, Management and Marketing. A group of eminent, scholarly and enthusiastic faculty under the academic leadership of the Principal has taken charge of the teaching learning of the college. Many of the faculty members are engaged in active research by operating projects, publishing academic journals and working on the doctoral programs.
The college hours are 5.30 pm to 9.15 pm from Monday to Friday and on Saturday 4.45 pm to 8.30 pm. The Prafulla Chandra College has a library facility with the reading room. The reading room is open on every weekday from 5 pm to 9 pm.
Prafulla Chandra College provides many facilities, which include various programs apart from the academic studies. The adult education is one such program. The adult education and literacy center was set up on 7th September 2002 in the college premises. The classes for adult education held twice in a week. Two professors and four students volunteer for teaching in this course.
In students` common room there are arrangements for indoor games and other activities. The college provides outdoor sports facilities, too. There is a small playground in the college where the students practice football and cricket. There are table tennis board, carom board and chess for the boys in the common room. There are also provision for basketball and badminton. In addition to these, students also practice swimming and rowing in the nearby Dhakuria Lakes.
Health Services are provided by the St. John`s Ambulance, also called Prafulla Chandra College ambulance Division. There is a health center in the college premises that gives first aid treatment to the teachers, students and non-teaching staffs. The ambulance division has doctors and staff maintaining a first-aid kit and also holds first-aid training camps for students as well as medical camps for staff and students and blood donation camps for other health awareness programs.
The backyard of this college has a piece of greenery. There is a small playground surrounded by fruit trees like mangoes, guavas, jackfruit etc. The garden staffs are appointed to take care of the garden and lawn and keep them clean.
The seminars, guest lectures and meeting of the governing body are arranged in the Rector`s Room. It is renovated to be used as a conference room, too. There is a canteen in the college, where food items are available in a very nominal rate.
The college arranges cultural programs regularly. The students are encouraged to participate in the cultural competition also. The students take part in music, dance, plays, debates, elocutions and quiz competitions with great enthusiasm. College magazine are published annually, which captures important events of the college life, contemporary social and political problems including the problems, which the students and teachers face in their academic life. Some departments also bring out departmental magazines regularly.
The Prafulla Chandra College has also extensive activities apart from studies. The Blood donation camps are organized regularly. The teachers, students and the non-teaching staffs of the college render services to the society in all sorts of natural calamities.
The college arranges workshops, seminars, excursions and educational tours regularly.
The Prafulla Chandra College has an alumni association that was founded in September 2002 and was registered under W.B. Societies Registration Act on 7th October of the same year. The aim of this association is to maintain and renew the contact among the old students, old teachers and non-teaching staffs of Prafulla Chandra College and to organize lectures, debates, seminars, discussions and to print and publish souvenirs, brochures, bulletins etc as well as to promote and encourage literary and cultural activities and social services. This association also provides financial and medical relief to the poor and distressed students. Scholars and ex-pupils undertake welfare projects and raise funds to collect donations and subscriptions for the purpose of the society. Regular meetings of this alumni association are held with prior notice at the college premises. The alumni association organized a medical and health camp, seminars, book exhibition, essay competition, students` workshop on environmental awareness, reunion, cultural program etc and also publishes a newsletter every year