Established in 1924, Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi, is also called Indraprastha College or IP College. The initiative to set up the school came from Annie Besant and was established by a group of Delhi theosophists, the leader of which was Lala Jugal Kishore.
 
A constituent college of the University of Delhi, it was set up to educate women and empower them. A nation-wide campaign for women's education led to the setting up of the college.

The college is self-affiliated to the University of Delhi, New Delhi. Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi was recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under section 2(f) & 12(B) in 1956 under Act, 1956.

IP College was also recognized and approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi on 29th April 2015. On 17th March 2016, the college was accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with "A" Grade (CGPA Score 3.76 on a 4 Point Scale in the 1st cycle).

It is a women's college and all the facilities to be provided by the government and the fees to be paid is decided by the government as it is a grant-in-aid college.

Indraprastha Girls School is where the origins of the IP college can be found. The school was founded in 1904. In 1924, the intermediate school was added. It is during this time that the Indraprastha College for Women was started with its first principal from Kapunda, South Australia, Leonora Gmeiner.

Very soon the college was recognised as a constituent college of the University of Delhi, which was itself founded in 1922. In the 1930s, degree courses were introduced and in 1938, Indraprastha College for Women was recognised as a degree college by Delhi University.

During its early years, the college operated from Chhipiwara. Next, the college was moved to  Chandrawali Bhawan. At last, it was moved to its current location, Alipur House at Alipur Road, which is now known as Sham Nath Road. It is near Kashmiri Gate; this was the former commander-in-chief's office in 1938 and has become a valuable heritage property now.

Currently, the college offers a variety of activities and courses and has over 2670 students enrolled in the various courses. Indraprastha College for Women offers several graduates and post-graduate courses in multimedia, mass media and mass communication, liberal arts, computer science, literature, and commerce. The B.A. (Hons.) course in Mass Media and Mass Communication (BMMMC) that is offered here at the college is one of the best courses offered in India.

Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi has also teamed up with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana Scheme. Candidates who want to get admission in this college must register online and take a test that is conducted by the college. Eligibility criteria for taking the test is specified by the college.

Some of the undergraduate courses are under the Choice Based Credit and Semester System (CBCSS) and the postgraduate courses are under the Credit and Semester System (CSS) of the affiliating university. The college also offers add-on certificate courses.

Vision and Mission:

• To develop belief in oneself as strong women by empowering oneself and employing strategies; to become aware of the environment, heritage and history and think about global concerns and issues; be sensitive to others and develop respect for them by exposing oneself to cultural diversity, human rights and languages; to develop the values of citizenship, i.e., public conduct, civic sense, responsibilities, rights and leadership; to develop rational and scientific thinking; to develop writing and presentation skills for research and innovation; to enhance employability and life-skills through workshops and hands-on training; and to work towards a holistic development of the students by initiating co-curricular and curricular activities by making it mandatory to become members and take part in at least two co-curricular activities