Aim: The study aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and assess gender differences among college students of Kolkata, West Bengal, India using International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Materials and Methods: Design: A cross sectional study was conducted among 397 college going students comprising of 235 females and 162 males aged 18 to 24 yrs from August 2011 to December, 2013. Measurements: Anthropometric measurements were performed by standardized techniques, blood pressure (BP) by sphygmomanometer. Serum glucose, HDL-C and TG were measured in fasting blood. Diagnostic criteria used: MS was identified using IDF criteria. Results: Prevalence of MS among total population was 4.5%. Significant differences exist between genders with respect to age, BP and HDL-C (p ? 0.05). 9.1% had only central obesity while 12.1% students had any one of the metabolic syndrome components in addition to central obesity. Conclusion: Many of the college students of Kolkata were having MS or its predisposition. Early identification can be beneficial for planning intervention strategies in college and university settings.