"Let there be light!' said God, says the Old Testament. And this is just the credo of our Institution - MKP. The motto of the College says, “Ritey Gayananam Mukti". In other words, it is “Knowledge that provides Enlightenment and Salvation!"

It was probably these ideas that motivated our Founders, great visionaries, far ahead of their times to establish this Institution way back in 1902, at a time and in an age when educating women was almost a taboo, as it was their profound conviction that India could not take her rightful place among the Nations of the World without educating its daughters. Thus, beginning with just six students, the foundation of this Institution was laid by Smt. Mahadevi Ji, who was ably supported by her husband, Shri Jyoti Swarup Bhatnagar, who donated a large corpus of over 100 bighas of land, buildings and bank deposits. It was the second such Institution in the whole of North India, devoted to the cause of Women's education. From the very beginning, the Institution made great strides, carving a niche for itself, so much so that when in 1906, Queen Mary of England, visited India and expressed her desire to see any such institution that was being run exclusively for young girls, MKP was recommended and she was brought all the way from Delhi to Dehra Dun to visit this Institution. It is believed that she was greatly impressed by the kind of education that was being provided to young girls here. Over the years, a great number of National leaders visited this Institution namely, Mahrishi Karve, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Smt. Sarojini Naidu, Lala Lajpat Rai, Pandit Nehru, Smt. Kamala Nehru, Smt. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Shri V.V. Giri and the Former President of India, Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in the year 2002, when the Institution celebrated its Centenary. 

MKP Degree College came into being in the year 1958, and at present is affiliated to Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (a Central University) and follows syllabi and evaluation processes prescribed by the University. Senior members of the faculty are on the Board of Studies of the University and contribute towards the periodic revision of the syllabus. Steady progress has been made in the last few years in incorporating Information and Education Technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning process and the transaction of the curriculum as well as in the administration with a view to increase efficiency and to equip students to compete in the global markets, all the while remaining rooted in the traditional Indian values that give substance to character. 

"Equity, Accessibility and Inclusiveness" - A conscious effort has been made by the College to make these parameters the hallmark of its culture. It is for this very reason that the college student profile reveals that a large number of students enrolled at the College belong to the reserved categories, and the minorities (approximately 40%) and almost all socio-economic strata with a greater than average representation of the weaker sections, emphasizing the fact that the College is catering to the very diverse needs of the region. The teaching staff is highly qualified and strives towards the constant improvement in the teaching learning process with support from the inclusion of ICT and the up gradation of laboratories and equipment.

Conferences, Seminars and Workshops are organized by the College and members of the faculty participate in these as well as other events, presenting papers in large numbers. In the field of extension activities, the College has made its presence felt in the areas of awareness regarding the PC-PNDT Act (prevention of female feticide) through Projects- Shrinkhala I and Shrinkhala II, 2009 and 2010; Project Dishayen which provides Career Counseling to young girls of Government run schools and participation in VOICE4Girls, an initiative of UANA ( Uttaranchal Association of North America) wherein summer and winter camps are conducted for girls in the remote areas of Uttarakhand. The Eco Restoration Club also spreads awareness and educates young girls from Government run school regarding the need for environmental conservation. The NCC and NSS take up extension activities as per the needs and requirements of the community. The College has good infrastructure for academic, co-curricular and extracurricular activities and sports. The sports teams participate regularly in the inter college and state level competitions. Members of the debating club have won laurels at various debating forums. Cultural activities are an integral part of the college calendar with enthusiastic participation from the students.

Students of the College have been doing well, having secured University positions at the UG and PG levels and Gold medals at the PG level during the past few years. Drop-out rates are low and progression from UG to PG stands at approximately 30-40%. The Career Counseling and Placement Cell provides information, conducts awareness workshops and facilitates campus placements. The Women’s Cell and Department of Psychology provides personal counseling to students with extra support being given to hostel residents. The students have an eclectic choice of co-curricular activities and the Student’s Union plays a responsible role in maintaining a healthy atmosphere on the campus.

The vision of the founders of the Institution was to spread modern education among the girls of this region in order to bring them to the mainstream of development and progress while remaining rooted to the traditional Indian values. Successive leadership has striven to uphold the principles and values held dear by them while charting a course that will enable the students to hold their own in a globalized world.