Kerala Universities

Kerala was the first and foremost state in India to proclaim total literacy in one town in 1989 and later on April 18, 1991, the National Literacy Mission declared total literacy in the whole state of Kerala. Today, the literacy rate of Kerala is 91 percent which is the highest literacy attained in comparison to any other Indian State. This was possible due to the utmost importance attached to Education. In 1937, the University of Travancore with headquarters in Trivandrum was set up. Then the University of Calicut was established in North Kerala. Finally the Cochin University of Science and Technology, the Kerala Agricultural University, The Mahatma Gandhi University, the Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University and the Kannaur University were constituted gradually. These are the top seven universities of Kerala.

University of Kerala - The University of Kerala was originally the University of Travancore which was constituted in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharaja of Travancore, Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. He became the first Chancellor of the University. In 1957, under the Act 14 of 1957, Kerala University Act, the University of Travancore was renamed as the University of Kerala. It was the sixteenth University to be set up in India and ten Colleges within the State of Travancore.

At present, the University has 16 faculties and 41 departments of teaching and research. Of 157 affiliated colleges, 60 Arts and Science Colleges. It has 2 Law Colleges, 17 Engineering colleges, 4 Medical Colleges, 37 Teacher Training Colleges, 4 Ayurveda colleges, 2 Homeopathy colleges, 2 Fine Arts Colleges, 1 Sidha Medical College, 1 Music College,3 Dental Colleges and 1 College of Education.

Besides these, there are 4 affiliated institutions conducting 2 year full time MBA course, 5 colleges offering MCA and 10 Nursing colleges. The Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education at Kariavattom was also established under the University. The University has recently started an Engineering College in its Kariavattom campus.

The Kerala University is one of the leading universities in South India, which conducts intensive research in various subjects. There are 41 departments in which research is going on, and 57 recognised Research Centres other than University Departments.

Some of them are -t he International Centre for Kerala Studies, the Centre for Canadian Studies, the Centre for Australian Studies, the Centre for Comparative Literature, Centre for Vedanta Studies and so on. The University Departments offer a wide range of teaching and research at post-graduate, M.Phil and Ph.D. levels. The courses in the Departments are conducted in the Credit and Semester System. The University has also extended the Semester System to all the Post Graduate courses from 2001. At present, about 32 colleges offer post graduate teaching Programs.

E-mail - keralauniversity@vsnl.com. Directory
Web site www.keralauniveristy.edu

Cochin University - Cochin University of Science & Technology (CUSAT) in Kochi, Kerala (India) was founded in 1971. It was originally known as University of Cochin, and was constituted through an Act of the Legislature that was the result of a combined campaign for quality postgraduate education in the State of Kerala. The objective of the University is to make remarkable and persuasive contributions to the cause of higher education in science and technology.

It consists of three campuses, two in Kochi and one in Kuttanad about 66 km away from Kochi. This university deals in the study of Tecnology and hence offers a wide array of technical subjects both in the graduate and post-graduation level. It offers BTech in electronics and communications engineering, and is renowned for its technical programmes in the South India. Admission is offered to students with 10+2 (twelfth standards in the Indian educational system) with fifty percent or more marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The university has the following departments- Technology, Social Sciences, Science, Marine Sciences, Law, Humanities, Environmental Studies and School of Engineering.

Hostel facilities are available in Sanathana, the oldest and men’s hostel of Cochin University of Science and technology.

Website: www.cusat.ac.in
Email: registrar@cusat.ac.in

Calicut University - The Calicut University or the University of Calicut founded in1968 is an affiliating university located in Thenjipalam, Kerala in India. It is one of the chief centers of higher education in North Kerala. The University of Calicut, was the second university established in Calicut with the motto of developing human resources in the Northern districts of Calicut by improving higher education and promoting research in all areas of development with particular emphasis on technology and art and culture of Calicut. It has more than twenty-five departments of study and research at its central campus and the regional centres in Vadakara and Trichur. About 262 colleges are affiliated to the University. Among these colleges, 70 are located in Kozhikode district, 68 in Thrissur, 70 in Malappuram, 43 in Palakkad and 11 in Wayanad district.

Various undergraduate courses are available in the affiliated colleges. Postgraduate course are available both at the affiliated colleges and at the university departments. PhD Research programmes are also available at the university departments and recognized institutions. Besides these, the university offers Teacher Education Centers in all its five districts and advanced Computer Science Centres in 13 places offering MCA, MSc Computer, and BSc IT courses. The Calicut University Institute of Engineering and Technology, or CUIET is located at the university campus on NH-17. There are more than 150 colleges affiliated to this University which consists of Teacher Training Colleges, Medical colleges, Engineering colleges, and Law colleges, Fine Arts College, IHRD Centers, Oriental Title Colleges and College for Dentistry, Nursing and Homeopathy.
Website- www.@unical.ac.in

Kannur University- The Kannur University was established by the Act 22 of 1996 of Kerala Legislative Assembly and was on 2nd March 1996 by the Hon. Chief Minister of Kerala. Previously this University was founded as “Malabar University” by the promulgation of an Ordinance by the Governor of Kerala, on 9th November 1995. The main objective of this University is to set up a in the state of Kerala an educating, residential and affiliating University for the development of higher education in Kasargod and Kannur revenue Districts and the Mananthavady Taluk of Wayanad District in the state of Kerala.

Kannur University is unique with its multi-campus university with campuses located at various locations under its jurisdiction. The different subjects offered are - English & Foreign Languages, Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Biotechnology & Microbiology, Management Studies, Information Science & Technology, Development Studies, Legal Studies, Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Pure and Applied Physics,Visual and Fine Arts, Pedagogical Sciences and Indian Languages and so on.
Website- www.kannuruniversity.ac.in

M.G. University- M.G. University or Mahatma Gandhi University was established on 2nd October 1983 in Kottayam. The university consists of 183 affiliated colleges that extend over five districts in central Kerala. Higher education in the Revenue Districts of Kottayam, Ernakulam and Idukki, Kozhencherry, Mallappally, Thiruvalla and Ranni Taluks of the Pathanamthitta District and Kuttanad Taluk of the Alapuzha District comes under the Mahatma Gandhi University. The University has 21 teaching and research departments, six information centres and three study centres. The important schools of the university include School of Medical Education, School of Chemical Sciences, School of Gandhian Thought and Development Studies, School of Biosciences and School of International Relations. This University offers various academic programmes in the fields of Gandhian Thought, Polymer Chemistry, Hospital administration and Environemntal Management and so on. Mahatma Gandhi University has also 10 Inter disciplinary Schools of teaching and research and 12 schools of higher learning in Applied Science and Professional Studies.The courses in the Departments are conducted in the credit and semester system.
Website- www.mguniversity.edu

Kerala Agricultural University - The Kerala Agricultural University is the principal body of the Kerala State that provides human resources, skills and technology needed for the sustainable development of its agriculture.

KAV or Kerala Agricultural University has 4 departments: agriculture, agricultural engineering and technology, veterinary and animal sciences, and fisheries science and technology. KAV also has eight constituent colleges within its six campuses, 23 research centres and three colleges of agriculture, one each at Trivandrum, Thrissur and Pilicode-Nileshwar (Kasargod).

The university offers seven Graduate programmes in Agriculture, Forestry, Cooperation and Banking, Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Dairy Science and Technology, Fisheries, and Agricultural Engineering and Technology and nine Post-graduate programmes including Masters Degree such as Agriculture, Agricultural Statistics, Forestry, Horticulture, Cooperation and Banking, Home Science, Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Fisheries and Agricultural Engineering and Technology. Doctoral programmes are also offered in Agriculture, Horticulture, Home Science Veterinary & Animal Sciences and so on.

In the year 2001, the Kerala Agricultural University was adjudged as the best performing University among the thirty five State Agricultural Universities and deemed Universities in the country by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Website- www.kau.edu

Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit – This University of Kerala was constituted by an Ordinance of the Government of Kerala in 1993. However the Ordinance was replaced by the Sree Sankaracharya University Act 1994. This university was established in the name of the feted Indian Philosopher and Santh Jagadguru Sree Adi Sankaracharya in his birth place for the advancement and growth of the study of Sanskrit, Indology, Indian Philosophy and other Indian Languages. This university offers Ph.D. and M.Phil Programmes, Postgraduate Courses, Graduate Courses and Diploma Courses. The university has many campuses in the regions of Kalady,Thrissur, Tirur, Koyilandy, Payyannur, Thuravoor and Ettumanoor.
Website- www.ssus.ac.in