University of Kerala

University of Kerala, commonly referred to as Kerala University (KU, ISO: Kēraḷa Sarvakālāśāla) and formerly known as University of Travancore, is a public state university in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma who was also the first Chancellor of the university. C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer, the then Diwan (Prime Minister) of the State was the first Vice-Chancellor. It was the first university in Kerala, and among the first in the country. It is accredited by NAAC with highest grade of 'A++' and scored 3.67 points out of 4.

The university has over 150 affiliated colleges and has sixteen faculties and 43 Departments of teaching and research. The Governor of Kerala serves as the Chancellor of university.

History

The history of the University of Kerala is integral to the history of the state itself. One of the first 16 universities in India, the University of Kerala was founded on November 1, 1937, as the University of Travancore in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore (now southern part of Kerala and some neighbouring parts of state of Tamil Nadu).

The university came into being by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma who was also the first Chancellor of the university. Sir C. P Ramaswamy Ayyar, the then Diwan (Prime minister) of the State was the first Vice-Chancellor. He was an eminent scholar and an able administrator. It has been written in Indian media that the Government made an unsuccessful attempt to invite Albert Einstein to be the first Vice-Chancellor. The university was modeled after the best Universities of the United Kingdom, and even today retains some of these features. The affiliating system of the university, however, evolved differently from the college system in British universities.

The earliest origins of the university may be traced back to two institutions of modern learning in Kerala – the University College Thiruvananthapuram and the Trivandrum Observatory. The University College was initially founded as the Maharaja's Free School by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal in 1834, with Mr John Roberts, a Christian Missionary as Headmaster, and soon grew into a college in 1866, affiliated to the Madras University. When the University of Travancore was founded, the departments of the college became University departments, only to switch back again when the transformation to University of Kerala happened in 1957. The University College still retains its connection with the university as an affiliated college. The Thiruvananthapuram Observatory was founded in 1838 and had an internationally reputed scientist, John Caldecott FRS as its first Director. It became a part of the Travancore University, but was administered as an independent government institution for some time. It is now the oldest institution under the Kerala University.

Organisation and administration

Governance

The Chancellor, the Pro-Chancellor, the Vice- Chancellor, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and the members of the Senate, the Syndicate and the Academic Council constitutes the governing body of the university. The Governor of Kerala is the Chancellor of the university while Education Minister of Kerala is the Pro-Chancellor of the university.

Rankings

Ranked 25th among universities, 5th among public state universities and 42nd overall by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2025. The QS World University Rankings ranked the university 339th in Asia in 2025.

International Students

The University of Kerala has received an unprecedented 2,620 applications from international students representing 81 countries for its academic programmes in 2025–26.The university currently hosts 205 international students from 52 countries, including Colombia, Peru, United Kingdom, and the United States of America, through ICCR scholarships and self-financing options.

Semester-in-India Programme (SIP)

The University of Kerala runs a Semester-in-India Programme (SIP) for American students, enabling them to study selected courses for one semester with credit transfer to their home institutions. The programme is governed by the university's Credit Transfer Regulations and Credit and Semester System (CSS) Regulations for foreign students. So far, three batches with a total of 23 students have completed the SIP, representing institutions such as St. Mary's College of Maryland, Grand Valley State University, George Mason University, Green Mountain College, Cornell University, Plymouth State University, Hendrix College, Berea College and Pacific University.

Academic collaborations with foreign universities

The University of Kerala has signed MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with up to 22 institutions across the globe. It includes University of Hartford, University of Warsaw, Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni includes tenth President of India K. R. Narayanan, renowned theoretical physicist Thanu Padmanabhan, geneticist M. S. Swaminathan, ISRO former chairman G. Madhavan Nair, INSA scientist Perdur Radhakantha Adiga, former Supreme Court judges, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Fathima Beevi, legal luminary N. R. Madhava Menon, Indian film actor Mohanlal, Malayalam poets O. N. V. Kurup, Sugathakumari, Music composer G. Devarajan, historian M. G. S. Narayanan, cricketer Sanju Samson and many other eminent personalities.

Others

A. K. Antony – 6th Chief Minister of Kerala and 25th Minister of Defence (India), Government of India

Oommen Chandy – 10th Chief Minister of Kerala

Pinarayi Vijayan – 12th Chief Minister of Kerala.

V. D. Satheesan - 13th Chief minister of Kerala and former opposition leader.

Vayalar Ravi – Former Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India.

Mullappally Ramachandran – Former Minister of Home Affairs, Government of India.

P. J. Kurien- 11th Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan – Former Minister for Home Affairs, Government of Kerala.

Ramesh Chennithala - former Minister for Home Affairs, Government of Kerala.

T. M. Thomas Isaac – Former Minister for Finance, Government of Kerala.

K. B. Ganesh Kumar – Minister for Transport, 15th Kerala Assembly, Government of Kerala.

K. N. Balagopal – Minister for Finance, 15th Kerala Assembly, Government of Kerala.

Veena George – Minister for Health, 15th Kerala Assembly, Government of Kerala.

Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan – Former Revenue Minister, Government of Kerala.

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