Started in 1963 by the Catholic Bishop's Conference of India, St. John's has grown to be listed as one of the top medical educational institutions in the country. The Supreme Court of India, granting the privilege of conducting its own entrance test, declared St. John's Medical College as standing on a different footing altogether among the private medical colleges in the matter of admissions made strictly on the basis of merit. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council, a Review Committee of the University Grants Commission, has recognized the excellence of St. John's Medical College and Hospital and accorded it with a 5 star grading.