Though it was established as a first grade Government Arts College, over the years it grew into a full fledged Arts, Science and Commerce College. In early forties, it was the only college beyond Bandra that catered to the educational needs of the western suburbs of North Mumbai. Ismail Yusuf College is a fine example of co-operation between private philanthropy and Government patronage. It came i
nto existence due to the munificence of its donor and the patronage of the Government. In January 1914, Sir Mohammed Ismail Yusuf offered to the then State of Bombay a donation of Rs.8 lakhs for the promotion of higher education of Muslim youths. The then Governor-in-Council accepted the donation and decided that the same should be utilized for the establishment of a first grade Government Arts College at Andheri and that the college should be primarily for Muslims, but students belonging to other religious communities should also be admitted. In the 1920s, the State of Bombay chose a site at the present day suburb of Jogeshwari for the construction of the college, which then was in the form of a tropical forest. Originally the campus was spread over 120 acres (0.49 km2) of land but today it has shrunk to about 54 acres (220,000 m2) due to encroachment by neighboring slum-dwellers and housing societies, construction of Western Express Highway bisecting the land under college control and the grant of land by the Government of Maharashtra to a private society for the establishment of an educational institution, now called Arvind Gandbhir High School. The government established a first-grade government arts college named “Ismail Yusuf College, Jogeshwari” for the object mentioned above. A spacious building for the college was constructed and necessary equipment was purchased out of the donation. The college was administered and maintained by the government and was recognized as a Government College. However, preferential treatment was accorded to Muslim students in matter of admission, since the government had accepted the donation upon trust to devote the donation amount for promoting higher education among Muslim youths. The donor had requested for the construction of a first grade residential Arts College primarily for Muslim students. However, the present day, college is not a residential college, nor is it a mere Arts College. It is a government college with three faculties, namely, Arts, Science and Commerce. Being an institution administered and maintained by the government, it is neither a Muslim College nor a minority institution of higher education. Nor is Ismail Yusuf College a mere Government College. It is distinct from other Government College of Maharashtra in two respects. First, promotion of higher education among Muslim students and the provision of teaching of subjects like Urdu, Persian, Arabic and Islamic Studies are the specific goals of the college. Secondly, as per the terms of settlement between the State of Bombay and Sir Mohammed Yusuf, the college has freedom to admit students irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. However, the court settlement entitles Chairman of Board of Trustees of Sir Mohammed Yusuf Family Trust and the President of Anjum-i-Islam, Mumbai, to nominate 20% if the number of students to be admitted as new entrants in the college every year. The scenic beauty of the college continues to attract TV serial and film producers. The college has been used as a shooting location in many Bollywood films.
