St. Agnes PU College is an educational institution in the city of

Mangaluru Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the stat ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. It is in the Bendore area, where the élite of the city reside. It is next door to St. Sebastian's Church. It was founded primarily for the education of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

women. The original college was started by the Apostolic Carmel sisters in 1921. It was the first Catholic women's college in

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

and the second in the country. St. Agnes PU College was bifurcated from St. Agnes First Grade College in 2001. The college now has a separate building, which was inaugurated on 14 December 2004. From 1921 to 2025, the Pre-University College was strictly girls-only. Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, the college began accepting boys to promote inclusivity.

History

St. Agnes First Grade College was started by the Apostolic Carmel sisters, a congregation founded by Mother Veronica of the Passion (1823-1906) in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, in 1868. It was established in Mangalore in 1870. It was started to promote all-girls education, and was one of the first colleges in South India to do so. In 2001, according to the orders of the

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as GoK or GoKA, formerly known as Government of Mysore (1956–1974), is a democratically elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka ...

, the then existing St. Agnes College had to be split into St. Agnes Pre-University and Degree Colleges. It had generated a major overhaul of staff, facilities and space. Thus, the decision to construct a new building was taken and executed. Students moved into their new block in the academic year 2004–2005. The new building was inaugurated by Sr. Agatha Mary A.C. From 2025 onwards, the institution became co-educational.

College crest

The crest has three parts. The crown on top:
The crown set in gold is encrusted with jewels and precious stones. In past centuries, kings regarded the crown as a symbol of power, prestige and glory. The crown in the crest acquires a different meaning, symbolising the golden age of India's material wealth and cultural splendour. Today, through the education of her women, St. Agnes College endeavours to recrown

Bharat Mata Bharat Mata (, Mother India in English) is a national personification of India ( Bharat) as a mother goddess. Bharat Mata is commonly depicted dressed in a red or saffron-coloured sari and in more contemporary iterations, holding a national f ...

(Mother India). Educated and self-reliant women are jewels in the crown of Mother India. The shield in the centre:
The shield has three partitions. In the first is depicted a cross atop a mountain with three stars on three sides. The mountain is a symbol of prayer and contemplation; the cross is a reminder that the education provided by the college is imbued with the teachings of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

and the spirit of his person. The three stars signify the historical Carmelite heritage of the Apostolic Carmel congregation. In the second partition is engraved a

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

palm on the shoreline. It stands for the foundation of the Apostolic Carmel along the western coast of

in 1870. The coconut tree is symbolic of the quiet dependability and usefulness of the educational mission of the college. In the third partition, the lamb with the victory palm together represent the patroness of the college, St. Agnes and her spiritual victory. The palm is the symbol of victory over evil. It signifies the power of prayer to help control carnal desires and stand strong against temptation. The scroll below:
The scroll upholds the college motto ''Deus fortitudo mea'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: God is my strength).

Streams offered

The college offers three streams: science, commerce and arts. Science stream has four combinations.
PCMB - physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology
PCMC - physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science
PCMS - physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics
PCME - physics, chemistry, mathematics, electronics PCBH - physics, chemistry, biology, homescience Commerce stream has five combinations.
BEBA - basic mathematics, economics, business studies, accountancy
BSBA - basic mathematics, statistics, business studies, accountancy
CSBA - computer science, statistics, business studies, accountancy
SEBA - statistics, economics, business studies, accountancy
CEBA - computer science, economics, business studies, accountancy Arts stream has 2 combinations. HEPP- History, Economics, Political science and Psychology H.ScEPP- Home Science, Economics, Political Science Psychology.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Agnes Pu College, Mangalore Catholic universities and colleges in India Universities and colleges in Mangalore Educational institutions established in 1920 Carmelite educational institutions Women's universities and colleges in Karnataka Pre-university colleges in Karnataka 1920 establishments in India