Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Churchgate, Mumbai was founded on the 22nd of October 1913. The requirement of the college was felt when K.S Aiyer dreamt of an educational institution solely dedicated to Economics and Commerce. This was perhaps the first college of Commerce in entire Asia. This college was christened after one of the governor generals of India, Lord Sydenham, who presented Rs.1, 85,000 towards the development of the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics.

The Sydenham College is famous for encouraging its students to take part in various extra-curricular activities, more particularly, sports. This is also perhaps the first ever college in the city of Mumbai which started to issue its own newspaper. The Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics also hosts every year, the `Brouhaha`, an inter-collegiate fest.

This education institution got started in the metro city of Mumbai in a borrowed premises belonging to the Elphinstone College. Firstly, this education institution was christened as the Government College of Commerce and it got its present name as Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, in acknowledgement of the magnanimity of Lord Sydenham, who was the then Governor of Bombay, towards the development and growth of the college. The borrowed place never became the permanent residence of the college and it changed its address three times; from the Elphinstone to Khadi Bhandar and then to J. J. School of Architecture before moving to the building at Churchgate in 1955 where it is currently located.

Apart from Commerce, it is also famous for the Management Studies courses. It also conducts course of advanced diploma for stock trade and foreign trades. Even if the college does to offer any facility of accommodation in hostel, the students are able to stay up in closely-located government hostels like the Savitribai Phule Hostel and the Government Hostel for Boys at Churchgate.

There are the Student`s Council and the Annual Magazine Committee in this college. The Student`s Council is considered to be the apex body of students; it represents the student community in front of the management and acts as a line of communication between the two. It organizes events of all societies including Brouhaha, the grand intercollegiate festival of the college. The Annual Magazine Committee is responsible for publishing the college`s annual magazine with a number of sections. This committee also publishes the newsletter, `Speak`. Apart from this, it organises a contest to select and award the Best Chairperson, and also a photo-session, `Say Cheese`, for the faculty, administrative staff, the non-teaching staff and different societies.

Some of the famous alumni of the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Maharashtra are Kumar Mangalam Birla, Suresh Kotak, Vikas Kasliwal, Padmanabh Mafatlal, Shailesh Sheth, Niranjan Hiranandani, Anirudh Dhoot, Rajendra Mehta, Vijaypat Singhania, Kantikumar Podar, Bansi Mehta , Raendra Aneja, Y. M. Kale, Deepak Ghaisas, Julio Ribairo ( IPS), Rajesh Chaturvedi, Nirmal Manerikar, N. P. Sarda, Deepak Parekh, Milind Deora, Jagdish Bhagwati, Dadi Seth, Omar Abdullah, Dr. B. S. Bhir, Dr. B. D. Ghonasgi, Uday Kotak, Shyamal Gupta, Vinod Khanna, Virendra Tulzapurkar, Sheetal Mallhar, Swapnil Joshi, Pooja Madan, Gayatri Joshi, Juhi Chawla, Swapnil Joshi, Neeraj Bajaj, Sanjay Gupta, Shaimak Davar, Karishma Tanna, Vijay Marchand, Aditya Hitkari, Uday Pawar, Hrithik Roshan, Sonal Phadke, Rahul Bose, Sanjana Kapoor, Manoj Bothra, Atul Agnihotri, Sameera Reddy, Uday Chopra, Sanjiv Kohli, etc.

The Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics located at Churchgate in the city of Mumbai is thus among the most renowned colleges in India where a number of famous personalities have studied. It is also one of the prominent colleges in Mumbai for the study of Commerce.