Established on 2nd January 1885, Deccan Education Society’s Fergusson College in Pune is popularly known as Fergusson College (FC). The college is managed by the Deccan Education Society (DEC). Fergusson College is a co-educational college and a private autonomous college that was established to provide quality education to deserving students who wanted to pursue higher studies in western India.

Fergusson College is affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune and it was recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under section 2(f) & 12(B) under the UGC Act, 1956. It was re-accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with "A" Grade (CGPA score 3.62 on a 4 point scale in the 3rd cycle) on 15th November 2015.

Fergusson College is named after Sir James Fergusson, who was then the Governor of Bombay. James Fergusson was the first patron of the Deccan Education Society. He took the initiative to build the New English School and the Fergusson College.

Students from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East come to Fergusson College to pursue higher education and enroll themselves in graduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of arts and science.

In 1892, the foundation stone of Fergusson College was laid and in 1895, the construction of the building was completed. In 1895, Fergusson College started operating from the main campus. On 2nd January 1885, the college was inaugurated by the grandson of the great English poet, William Wordsworth.

Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve - Bharat Ratna and Hon. Gopal Krishna Gokhale have been teachers in this College. Some of the distinguished principals of this college were Wrangler R. P. Paranjpye, Prof. Agarkar, Wrangler G. S. Mahajani and Prof. V. S. Apte.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhiji had come to this college and praised the work that was going on. During the golden jubilee of this college, in 1935, Gandhiji wrote: “Who can fail to be enthused over the noble record of service rendered by the D. E. Society and the Fergusson College to the cause of education?”

Some well known alumni of Fergusson College include Scientist Dr. S. K. Jatkar Acharya Kripalani, Shri P. L. Deshpande, Shri B. Ramakrishna Rao, Ram Ganesh Gadkari, Acharya Atre Veer Savarkar, Vithal Ramji Shinde, Shri H. V. Pataskar, Shri Kakasaheb Kalelkar, Shri N. V. Gadgil, P. V. Sukhatme, and many others who have made a place for themselves on various platforms.

The buildings in the campus premise, which comprises an area of 65 acres, are built in gothic style. Students from overseas also come to pursue various courses at this college. Students and faculty members from all parts of India can be seen here. It is a case of true national integration.

The college imparts education to almost 5500 students at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. It offers courses in natural sciences, electronics, computer, etc. It also has a library containing over 3,00,000 books and laboratories that are well-equipped.

The fees to be paid and the facilities to be provided to the students is decided by the government as the college was conferred the status of grant-in-aid college. The admission to the various courses offered to the students is conducted according to the norms imposed by the affiliating university.

In 2011, the college was recognized and conferred the status of “College with Potential for Excellence (CPE)" by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. Fergusson College was awarded the "STAR College" status by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for the enhancement of skills of students in 2014.

Fergusson College has two wings: the Junior Wing and the Senior Wing. Courses offered at the Junior Wing in the arts and science streams are meant for students who have just come out of school and have to appear for the Higher Secondary State Certificate examination.

The Senior Wing offers courses in humanities, languages, social science, electronics, computer science, creative science and life science. It offers master's degrees in 16 disciplines and bachelor's degrees in 29 disciplines. The college also offers doctoral and vocational programmes.

A placement cell is there at the Fergusson College which attempts at providing employment opportunities to students at the graduate and postgraduate level. Some of the top-ranking companies have recruited students from this college.

The college has consistently been ranked amongst the top ten arts and science colleges in India for the past twelve years. According to the annual survey published in India Today and conducted by India Today-AC Nielsen-ORG-MARG, the college has been ranked in the past twelve years as one of the top ten colleges in India offering science and arts courses.

Vision:

• The college has a vision of providing quality education that is affordable and improving continuously to bring the college at par with the best institutes of the world globally

Mission:

• The college is on a mission to follow its motto, “Knowledge is Power” and intends to abide by it by striving for brilliance in education and readying young minds for acquiring sensitivity, skills, and knowledge

Objectives:

• The objective of the college is to provide education that is of holistic nature by bringing together traditional and new learning techniques to set high-quality standards; encourage the students to think critically so that their creative potential is nurtured; arm the students with skills and knowledge to get various career opportunities and adjust smoothly to the changing global scenario; make education available to all the sections of the society; build a strong sense of nationalism in the students and make students aware of and sensitize them about human rights, ecology and gender equality so that they become responsible citizens of this country