Established in 1866, University College, Thiruvananthapuram is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher education in India to impart higher education to the common folk of erstwhile Travancore by H.H. Sri Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma Maharaja.

The college is one of the constituent colleges and runs courses under the University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram and it was recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under section 2(f) & 12(B) in 1956 under Act, 1956.

It was re-accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with "A" Grade - (CGPA Score 3.16 on a 4 Point Scale in 2nd Cycle) on 4th September 2010.

The college is situated in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala and it is the first college established in Kerala state.

At present, the college offers co-educational 18 undergraduate, 20 postgraduate, 12 M.Phil and 15 Ph.D. programmes in various streams with various specializations.

UG courses are under Choice Based Credit and Semester System (CBCSS) and PG courses are under Credit and Semester System (CSS) of the affiliating university. Therefore, the students should have to choose one honor (core) subject with two or more as subsidiary (elective) subjects for the specific undergraduate streams.

It is the first college in Kerala state and the college has fourteen research departments. Therefore, University College is both a “University” and a “College”.

The college has awarded as the best college by the university and also been accorded "College with Potential for Excellence" (CPE) status by the University Grants Commission. The college is also identified as a heritage institution by the Government of Kerala.

Vision:

• The college aims to mold the students into responsible and socially committed citizens of the nation through a future-oriented and interdisciplinary paradigm of learning, empowering them through socialist and secular strategies of instruction to aspiring for contributing to the nation’s development

Mission:

• To move forward and keep pace with the changing needs and spirit of the time
• To adopt innovative teaching strategies for achieving learning excellence
• To foster innate talents of the students, building  upon our  rich legacy and heritage
• To bridge the rural-urban divide, through quality education and thus ensure social justice in higher education by serving  the economically and socially backward sections, irrespective of religion, region, race or caste
• To integrate with the outside community through interactive program  evolving the students into vibrant organic intellectuals