Pursuit of Excellence: (a) Optimum transparency in admission of students and faculty appointments, upholding merit as the foremost criterion. (b) maintenance of a robust work culture (c) discipline combined with freedom of thought and expression (d) a sense of national consciousness.

Character building: Is woven into the total learning environment. Students are encouraged to be honest and hardworking, courteous in behaviour towards all, faculty members to be caring and responsive, and emphasis is laid on personal dignity as well as simplicity and austerity in the total life of the college.

Total Development of Personality: Class-room teaching is complemented with a wide range of co-curricular activities, through nearly 40 very active clubs and societies where students work under the supervision of teachers, however with considerable freedom and initiative. The balance between freedom and responsibility is maintained.

Discipline: St. Stephen’s College understands ‘discipline’ as the ability to uphold universal values in day-to-day work and conduct. Attitudes to life based on expediency or self-aggrandizement are discouraged. Discipline is balanced with freedom, lest it gets equated with mere conformity, which undermines personality development. The mission of St. Stephen’s College is to educate young men and women within a framework of liberal and republican values, to equip them to excel in the service of the nation and to attain optimum personal fulfilment by leading a values-based life. This is phrased in the college prayer as enabling students to be “good citizens alike of heaven and earth”.

Communication: The vision and goals stated above are communicated to the entire student body in two broad ways. (a) By transferring the vision to the teaching fraternity through frequent interactions that are informal in nature (b) A more formal strategy is used in respect of the students. Through morning assmeblies, attended by all first year students, the Principal addresses the students and educates them in these respects. The college has a large number of scholarships to promote the pursuit of excellence. Innumerable scholarly activities including seminars, conferences and workshops are organized to reinforce this. In all of these, students and teachers work closely together. Tutorials and lectures are conducted with utmost regularity. Teacher truancy is virtually absent in St. Stephen’s. This total ambience distinguished by an earnest and dedicated attitude to work as well as to the welfare of students is the most powerful communication there can be.