Being the highest literate state in India, Kerala is home to some of the most reputed institutes for higher education in India.
| Category | Name | Place | NIRF 2023 Rank | |
| Overall (out of 100) | Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram | 38 | |
| CUSAT | Ernakulam | 51 | ||
| NIT | Kozhikode | 54 | ||
| MG | Ernakulam | 67 | ||
| Universities (out of 100) | Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram | 21 | |
| CUSAT | Ernakulam | 34 | ||
| MG | Kottayam | 37 | ||
| Calicut | Malappuram | 89 | ||
| Colleges (out of 100) | Rajagiri College of Social Sciences | Ernakulam | 20 | |
| University College | Thiruvananthapuram | 22 | ||
| St. Teresa’s College | Ernakulam | 46 | ||
| Sacred Heart College, Thevara | Ernakulam | 48 | ||
| Govt College for Women | Thiruvananthapuram | 49 | ||
| Maharaja’s College | Ernakulam | 53 | ||
| St. Thomas College | Thrissur | 57 | ||
| St. Joseph’s College | Kozhikode | 61 | ||
| Bishop Moore College | Alappuzha | 62 | ||
| Mar Ivanios College | Thiruvananthapuram | 66 | ||
| SB College | Kottayam | 69 | ||
| Mar Athanasius College | Ernakulam | 74 | ||
| Vimala College | Thrissur | 80 | ||
| Mar Ivanios College | Thiruvananthapuram | 79 | ||
| Govt Victoria College | Palakkad | 84 | ||
| St. Joseph's College, Irinjalakuda | Thrissur | 85 | ||
| CMS College Kottayam | Kottayam | 92 | ||
| Engineering (out of 100) | NIT | Kozhikode | 25 | |
| IISST | Thiruvananthapuram | 51 | ||
| IIT | Palakkad | 64 | ||
| Management (out of 100) | IIM | Kozhikode | 03 | |
| NIT | Kozhikode | 76 | ||
| CUSAT | Ernakulam | 81 | ||
| Rajagiri Business School | Ernakulam | 93 | ||
| Medical (out of 100) | SCTIMST | Thiruvananthapuram | 13 | |
| Govt Medical College | Thiruvananthapuram | 42 | ||
| Dental (out of 100) | Govt Dental College | Thiruvananthapuram | 21 | |
| Architecture (out of 100) | NIT | Kozhikode | 03 | |
| College of Engineering, Trivandrum | Thiruvananthapuram | 18 | ||
| Agriculture (out of 100) | KAU | Thrissur | 16 | |
| KUFOS | Ernakulam | 30 | ||
| Law (out of 100) | NUALS | Ernakulam | 38 |
The higher education system in India includes both private and public universities. Universities in India are recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which draws its power from the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.[1]
The types of universities include:
| No. | University | Location | Discipline | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central University of Kerala | Science, Fine arts, Literature | 2009 | ||
| 2 | Kochi | 2005 |
| No. | University | Location | Discipline | Founded | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UoK | Thiruvananthapuram | 1937 | |||
| 2 | UoC | University of Calicut | Malappuram | Multidisciplinary | 1968 | |
| 3 | CUSAT | Cochin University of Science and Technology | Multidisciplinary | 1971 | ||
| 4 | KAU | Kerala Agricultural University | Agriculture, Engineering | 1972 | ||
| 5 | MGU | Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala | Kottayam | Multidisciplinary | 1983 | |
| 6 | SSUS | Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit | Sanskrit and Vedic studies | 1994 | ||
| 7 | KU | Kannur University | Multidisciplinary | 1997 | ||
| 8 | KVASU | Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University | Wayanad | 2010 | ||
| 9 | KUHS | Kerala University of Health Sciences | 2010 | |||
| 10 | KUFOS | 2010 | ||||
| 11 | TEMU | Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University | Malayalam language and literature | 2012 | ||
| 12 | APJAKTU | A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University | Engineering, Technology, Management | 2014 | ||
| 13 | SNOU | Sree Narayanaguru Open University | Multidisciplinary Open University | 2020 | ||
| 14 | KUDSIT | Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology | Engineering (Masters only), Technology, Humanities | 2020 | ||
| No. | University | Location | Discipline | Founded | Deemed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Performing arts | 1930 | 2006 | ||
| 2 | Science and Technology | 2007 | 2008 | ||
| 3 | National Institute of Technology Calicut | Kozhikode | Engineering and Management | 1961 | 2002 |
| 4 | Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | Kozhikode | Management | 1996 | 1996 |
| 5 | Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth | Ernakulam | Arts and Humanities | 2017 | 2017 |
List of engineering colleges in Kerala
See also: List of autonomous higher education institutes in India and Institutes of National Importance.
| No. | College | Location | Type | Founded | Autonomous declaration | Management type | Institution of National Importance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CDS | Social Science | 1970 | 1970 | State | ||||
| 2 | CIFT | 1954 | 1954 | Central | |||||
| 3 | CMFRI | Kochi | 1971 | 1971 | Central | ||||
| 4 | IISR | 1975 | 1975 | Central | |||||
| 5 | IIM | Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode | Kozhikode | 1996 | 1996 | Central | |||
| 6 | IIITM | Thiruvananthapuram | 2002 | 2002 | State | ||||
| 7 | IIIT | Computer Science | 2015 | 2015 | PPP | ||||
| 8 | IISST | Thiruvananthapuram | Science, Technology | 2007 | 2008 | Central | |||
| 9 | IISER | Thiruvananthapuram | Science, Technology | 2008 | 2008 | Central | |||
| 10 | IIT | Palakkad | Science, Technology | 2015 | 2015 | Central | |||
| 11 | IIHT | Kannur | Textile technology | 1987 | 1987 | State | |||
| 12 | KPA | Kochi | Media | 1979 | 1979 | State | |||
| 13 | NIFT | Kannur | 2008 | 2008 | Central | ||||
| 14 | NUALS | Kochi | Legal education | 2005 | 2009 | State | |||
| 15 | NIT | Kozhikode | 1961 | 2002 | Central | ||||
| 16 | RGCB | Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology | Thiruvananthapuram | 1990 | 2002 | Central | |||
| 17 | SCTIMST | Thiruvananthapuram | Medicine, Health science | 1974 | 2002 | Central | |||
| 18 | RCC | Regional Cancer Centre | Thiruvananthapuram | Cancer Research | 1981 | 2014 | State | ||