Zakir Husain College is one of the oldest colleges of Delhi University and has a long and illustrious history. It was founded by Ghaziuddin Feroz Jung in the year 1792 as a Madarsa and was named Delhi College in the year 1825.

Later on, after merging with Lahore College it was subsequently renamed as Anglo-Arabic College. It was affiliated to Delhi University in 1928. Soon afterwards it became a degree college and finally became a P.G. college in thw year 1943. Post independence in the year 1948, Delhi College was revived in the same building as the original Madarsa Ghaziuddin.

While evening classes began in the year 1958, the college got its present name in the year 1975. The Prime Minister of India heads the Zakir Husain Memorial Trust which looks after the affairs of the college. The college shifted to its present premises in the year 1991.