St Joseph's College is a legacy of the 19th century, handed down to us by the venerable fathers of the society of the Foreign Mission of Paris. Its nucleus was the St. Joseph’s High School which was started in 1868 A.D. This School was elevated into a college in 1884 A.D. through the efforts of Father Tarbes and was affiliated to the University of Madras. The District-Gazetteer, South Arcot District, has recorded that the prime educational institution and the only college in the District in the 19th century was St. Joseph’s College. It once again became a high school in 1909 due to financial and other constraints. Since then, there had been several attempts to revitalize the college.