Named after Muhammad Mohsin, a 19th-century philanthropist, it is one of the oldest educational institutions in the country, originally established in British India in 1874 as the Chittagong Madrasha.

In 1918, plans to improve education at the institution were developed and by 1927 it had gradually evolved into Islamic Intermediate College.

Two hostels situated to the west of the Administrative Building offer housing for one hundred students.

It is called Darul Adalat, and it was the first court of Chittagong under British colonial rule; the site may also have been fortified by Portuguese pirates in the 16th century.

Mohsin College (then Chittagong Madrasa) bought the hill, along with the building, for 30,000 Taka in 1879, and it remained central to the institution for many years, though by 2013 it had fallen into disrepair and was in danger of being demolished to make way for a library.