The Salesian College, Sonada, was first established in 1926, by the Salesian Society of Shillong. The College obtained its affiliation to I A of the University of Calcutta in 1935. However, in 1935 the whole building along with its contents  was destroyed by fire. The Salesians of Don Bosco, came back to Woodcot, Sepoydhara, near Kurseong in 1936 and acquired the Sonada Brewery, the existing plot of land. In 1948 new building was inaugurated and the college got affiliation for the BA degree courses in English, Alternative English, Latin and History. The regular classes commenced from 16th May 1948. Though the college was originally started for intellectual development of the Salesians, the courses were made available for others. It is now a co-educational Institution. The affiliation from Calcutta University was transferred to North Bengal University in 1962.

The College offers UG and PG courses of North Bengal University through Distance Education wing of NBU. The college also offers Honours degree  courses in  English, History, Sociology, Geography, Political Science, Psychology and Education. It also provides  career oriented courses in Computer Application, Travel and Tourism Management, communicative English and Music. The college also airs a Radio programme 90.8FM, called Radio Salesian, launched in 2016.