The Jagadguru Gangadhar College of Commerce, the first collegiate Institution in Hubli, was founded in the year 1947, as a single faculty college. During those days there were no centers of higher learning in Commerce in the whole of North Karnataka within a radius of 300 miles. K.L.E. Society, watchful of requirements of educational institution, expressed its concern and readiness to start a College of Commerce at Hubli. A munificent donation and ideal site provided by His Holiness Jagadguru Gurushiddha Rajyogindra Mahaswamiji of Murusavirmath Hubli enabled K.L.E. Society to venture to start the college. The Karnataka Chamber of Commerce headed by Late Shri. S.S.Yalamali, the then President, and Late Shri. R.V. Shirur, the then secretary and a few philanthropists of Hubli have contributed a lot, financially, for the commencement of the college. Permission from Bombay University was obtained with the efforts of Late Sri. H.F. Kattimani, founder life member and Dr. B.S. Jirge the then Chairman of K.L.E. Society.
The College started with a meager strength 114 students came under the jurisdiction of Karnatak University Dharwad in 1949 and it was permitted to run B.Com Degree course. The Department of Commerce of Karnatak University to conduct Post-graduation course in M.Com was opened in the premises of J.G. College of Commerce in 1954 founded by the Karnatak Lingayat Education Society in 1947 with the blessings of His Holiness Jagadguru Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swamiji of Murusaviramath, the active support and encouragement from the Chamber of Commerce and the philanthropic public of Hubli, J. G. College of Commerce, Hubli is the oldest single faculty collegiate institution in this part of Karnataka. Affiliated to Karnatak University Dharwad, it has been offering value based and career oriented education since then. Built on a spacious area of 9.25 acres on N.H. 4, it has all the infrastructural facilities such as spacious class rooms, an independent library with a unique collection of over 72,000 volumes, well equipped Computer Lab, LCD Multimedia System, Auditorium, Hostel, Staff Quarters, Play Ground etc. Since six decades of its existence, the college has built an enviable reputation both in academics and sports. While it can boast of having produced Ranji Trophy players like Shri Avinash Vaidya, Shri Rajesh Kamat, Shri Pramod Kamat, Shri Bapu Patil and Manoj Malhotra in sports section, it feels equally proud about its achievements in academics too wherein it has produced hundreds of rank holders at the university level. Apart from regular B.Com., vocational B.Com. in Tax Procedure and Practice funded by UGC, is also taught to a limited number of students. It has been making consistent efforts in improving the quality of education by conducting Seminars, Group Discussions, Mock Interviews, visit to Industries and Banks, practical training on Income Tax and Sales Tax, Statutes, Entrepreneurship, interaction with entrepreneurs, tax authorities and practical knowledge of the subjects. An outstanding achievement of our degree college is that it has the privilege of being the first commerce college accredited at ‘A’ grade by NAAC in the Karnatak University jurisdiction which itself is a testimony to the high ideals, vision, mission and goals it has kept before it.