Tamil Nadu has a history that dates back to a thousand years or more. The state’s reputation lies with the fact that one of the first three universities established by British East India is located here in Chennai – the University of Madras. Having made great strides in the field of Higher Education, Tamil Nadu is a frontline state in India imparting quality education in the field of science and technology. Hence today Tamil Nadu is righteously called as the “Oxford of the South”.

The State Government has undertaken several schemes and programmes to overcome the problem of rural illiteracy and has provided free elementary education to the masses. The state’s literacy rate has increased significantly by over 10% i.e. from 62.66% in 1991 to 73.47% in 2001 which is well above the national average.

If we consider the scenario of Higher Education in Tamil Nadu, we find that the educational activities have increased manifold here, over the last few years. Major cities including Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichi and Madurai have established themselves as a forerunner in the field of higher education. Here, you will find some of India’s best professional educational institutions to name a few are: Indian Institute of Technology-Chennai, Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University, Christian Medical College-Vellore, Annamalai University, NIT-Trichy and so on.

Tamil Nadu’s education system is considered as one of the bests in the country. It is due to the continuous efforts made by the state Government in making the education policy liberal and also by granting autonomy to various institutes of excellence.

There are certain factors that make Tamil Nadu a preferred destination for higher education. It has adequate educational institutions, efficient and committed teachers, strong education policy of the government, and infrastructural facilitates for professional education. To maintain the quality of education in the state the government has outlaid Rs 892 crore for Higher Education.

The participation of central and state-run universities in the educational movement is worth noting. The varsities have set guidelines for various purposes including quality diverse academic teaching, admission and infrastructural development.

The diversification of courses in Tamil Nadu is really outstanding. Even in the medical stream, the diversity of colleges in niche courses like Sidha, Naturopathy, Ayurveda and Yoga, Tamil Nadu colleges top the list. The courses offered by institutes are job oriented and are futuristic. One might be surprised to know this fact that in most of these professional courses, out of the total students enrolled in the country, approximately 20% are from Tamil Nadu.

At present, Tamil Nadu has 38 universities of which 19 are state universities, 8 are Arts and Science Universities, 1 medical university, 1 agricultural university, 1 Open University, 1 Law University, 1 veterinary and animal science university, 1 women university and 1 sports university. There are four technical universities in the state to which 270 engineering colleges are affiliated.

Finally we can speak that Tamil Nadu is in a rapid mode of development in the field of higher education. It has only been made possible due to the duty consciousness of the administrative and teaching faculty and their contribution to research, and innovative methods of teachings.

Higher Education Department

Dr. K Ponmudi Minister for Higher Education Phone: 25671142 (O), 24937580 (R)

Secretary to the Government

Minister for School Education

Secretary to the Government