Universities in India

A university is an institution of higher education and research which grants academic degrees and doctrates in several academic disciplines. The main responsibilities of universities are affiliating colleges, conducting examinations and awarding academic certificates. The first comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India was Wood's Despatch (1854). It made medium of instruction English for higher studies and vernacular at school levels. Lord Dalhouise was the Governor General of India at the time of Wood's Despatch. The Universities of Calcutta, Bombay, Madras was set up in 1857, according to Wood's Despatch. Lord Canning was the Governor General at the time when Universities of Calcutta, Bombay, Madras was established. Later in 1882, Punjab University and in 1887, Allahabad University was established. UGC is the organization that gave recognition and accreditations to the Universities. UGC was established on December 28, 1953. UGC became a statutory organisation by an Act of Parliament in 1956. The University Grants Commission provides funds for government recognized universities and colleges. The Headquarters of UGC is in New Delhi. As of 14 November 2023, the list of total number of universities published by the UGC includes 479 active state universities, 56 central universities, 124 deemed universities and 455 state private universities in India. These four types of universities comprises 1114 universities together.

Types of Universities in India

■ Central Universities

Central universities or Union universities, are established under the Central Universities Act, 2009 by the Parliament. Central universities regulates their purpose, powers, governance etc through this act. Central Universities are working under the purview of the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The region having most number of central universities in India is Delhi (seven universities).

■ State Universities

State universities are universities under the state government of each of the states and territories of India. They are usually established by a local legislative assembly act. In India, state universities are managed and funded by the state government of each of the states of India. 

■ Deemed Universities

Deemed University is a status of autonomy granted by Department of Higher Education on the advice of University Grants Commission under the UGC Act. The first deemed University in India is Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The state with most deemed Universities in India is Tamil Nadu. The first institute to be granted deemed university status was Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru which was granted this status on 12 May 1958.

■ Private Universities

Private universities are established by an Act of a State Legislative Assembly and approved by the University Grants Commission. The UGC sends committees to inspect the management of state private universities and publishes their inspection report.

Institutes of National Importance

Apart from the above list of universities, other national institutions are granted the permission to autonomously award degrees. They do not affiliate the colleges and are not officially called universities. They can be called as autonomous organizations or autonomous institutes. They are directly under the administrative control of the Department of Higher Education, Government of India. The list of such institutions are as follows.

■ Indian Institute of Technology (IITs)

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) are a network of engineering and technology institutions in India. They are established in 1950. The committee related to the establishment of IIT is Nalini Rajan Sarkar Committee. Kharagpur (West Bengal, 1951) is the first IIT in India. The name IIT was given by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. They are under the purview of the Ministry of Education. They are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961. 23 IITs currently fall under the tenor of this act. Each IIT operates autonomously and is linked to others through a common council called the IIT Council. The Education Minister of India Government is the ex-officio chairperson of the IIT Council.

■ Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISERs)

Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) are a network of autonomous institutions established by the Indian Government for teaching and research in natural science and to provide collegiate education in basic sciences integrated with research at the undergraduate level. It is directly under the Ministry of Education. They are established in 1950. They are governed by the Science Education and Research (Amendment) Act, 2010 established by the Parliament of India. Seven IISERs have been established across the country in Pune, Bhopal, Mohali, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati and Berhampur.

■ All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)

The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a network of autonomous government institutions of higher education directly under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Indian Government. They are established in 1956. They are governed by the Act of Parliament as Institutes of National Importance. AIIMS New Delhi is the first AIIMS institute, which was established in 1956. Since then, 24 more institutes were announced. As of January 2023, twenty institutes are operating and four more are expected to become operational until 2025. 

■ National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs)

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) are a network of autonomous institutions established by the Indian Government. These are national level institutes of pharmaceutical sciences or Pharmacy school in India. The Government of India has declared NIPERs as the Institutes of National Importance. They are directly under the management of Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. NIPER, S.A.S Nagar, Mohali is the first NIPER institute which was established in 1998. Currently, there are seven institutes for NIPER. Also some future institutes are announced.

■ National Institutes of Technology (NITs)

National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are a network of autonomous institutions established by the Indian Government. These are centrally funded technical institutes directly under the Ministry of Education, Indian Government. They are governed by the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education, and Research Act, 2007. The act lists 32 NITs. Each NIT operates autonomously and is linked to others through a common council called the Council of NITSER, which oversees their administration.

■ Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) are a network of autonomous centrally funded technical institutions established by the Indian Government. They are directly under the Ministry of Education, Indian Government. They are governed by the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill, 2014. The act lists 26 interdisciplinary technology-based-engineering research institutions focused on information technology. The Government of India has declared Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) as the Institutes of National Importance. Five Institutes of them are managed by the Ministry of Education. The remaining 21 Institutions are established on the public-private partnership (PPP) model, funded by the central government, state governments and industry partners.

■ Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are a network of autonomous centrally funded business schools for management offering undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and executive programmes along with other courses in business administration. The establishment of Indian Institutes of Management was initiated by Jawaharlal Nehru, the then indian prime minister, based on the recommendation of Planning Commission of India. Kolkata is the first IIM of India and was established in November 13, 1961. IIMs were declared institutions of national importance by Government of India by the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017. The act changed the Indian Institutes of Management governing body from IIM council to an IIM coordination forum. 

■ Agricultural Universities

Agricultural Universities are institutes which are directly under the control of the professional councils, without an approval of the UGC. They are managed and controlled by the Agricultural Education Division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which was one of the professional councils in India.