Matunga has long been a hub of education in Mumbai. In 1887, Mumbai's first engineering college, Victoria Jubilee Technological Institute (VJTI) was founded. It was later renamed to Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute.
In 1937, the general council of Salesians of Don Bosco approved a plan to buy 60,000 square yards (50,000 m²) land in Matunga from the Bombay Municipal Corporation. The Corporation approved the sale on July 16, 1937. The Salesians bought the land for Rs. 229,160. The Don Bosco High School (formerly known as The Catholic Educational Institute) run by them was shifted from the rented premises at Tardeo to the new Don Bosco campus at Matunga.
In 1937, Guru Nanak Khalsa college was founded by Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee. It was first the college to be established by the Khalsa community outside Punjab. Its Gothic-style building was designed by a Roman architect. Don Bosco High School and Khalsa College are famous for their active sports-life.
In June 1937, Ramnarain Ruia College of Arts and Science was set up by Shikshana Prasaraka Mandali (a private education society run by teachers) of Pune. It was the first college to be founded by a private organization in Mumbai. In 1941, S P Mandali founded R A Podar College. The S P Mandali was given the plot by the railways, the biggest land owners in Mumbai at that time. The business house of the Podars constructed the college building at its own cost and handed it over to the college. In 1952, the Modern Education Society of Pune founded the D G Ruparel College. It was little know until early 1980s, when it started producing merit-list toppers.