Asian College of Journalism, Chennai was founded in Bangalore as the Asian College of Journalism, Bangalore. It was founded in 1994 by the Indian Express group, offering only a print course. In 2000, it was taken over by a not-for-profit trust founded by journalist and media entrepreneur, Sashi Kumar and was shifted to Chennai, in the same location as the old Hindu office on Wallajah Road, and renamed. It now comes under the aegis of the Media Development Foundation, headed by Chairman Sashi Kumar. For the first two years in Chennai it was headed by K Thomas Oommen.

ACJ offers a one-year postgraduate diploma with specialization in four streams under its 10-month program. The postgraduate college is designed to provide students with world-class journalism education adapted to the specific needs of India and other developing countries in Asia. It seeks to prepare its graduates to achieve the highest standards in all branches of the profession, keeping in focus the trend and thrust of convergence and digitization in the media, and the consequent demands for multiple skills made on the contemporary journalist. The College counsels students on placement and assists them by arranging on-and-off-campus interviews at the end of the academic year. ACJ has become the preferred destination for media organizations in search of talented and capable young recruits and has been registering excellent placement for many years. ACJ graduates are currently working in news organizations throughout India and abroad.