Stella Maris College is a Catholic institution of higher education for women in Chennai, India. It is an autonomous college affiliated to the University of Madras and is partly residential. The college, which is under the direction of the Society of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, is a minority institution that provides university education in a Christian atmosphere for deserving students, especially those belonging to the Catholic community. Others are also admitted irrespective of caste and creed and their rights of conscience are respected. Besides, the College commits itself to serve the economically weak, socially underprivileged and needy students. Beginning in a small one-storey building on August 15, 1947, with an enrolment of 32 students, the college has at present over 3000 students housed in large buildings on the beautiful campus of "The Cloisters", Cathedral Road, Chennai. The college became autonomous in 1987 and has 13 undergraduate and 10 postgraduate programmes. Research programmes such as M.Phil. and Ph.D. and also postgraduate diploma courses are part of the academic curriculum.