Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city, in southern Tamil Nadu, India, that was established in 1966. MKU is one of the 15 universities in India with the University with Potential for Excellence status, which was awarded by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in India. In 2021, the university was awarded an 'A++' grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in its 4th cycle. History The university was established in 1966 as Madurai University. In 1978, the name was changed to Madurai Kamaraj University to honor K. Kamaraj, former Chief Minister of Madras State. Vice chancellors Academics There are 121 colleges and institutions under MKU which include 16 aided colleges, 24 autonomous colleges (including both government and self-financed), 4 constituent colleges, 1 MKU college, 5 MKU evening colleges, 57 self-financed colleges and 14 approved institutions. Currently, the university consists of 77 renowned Departments and 20 renowned Schools as a whole. Rankings The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked Madurai Kamaraj University 83rd overall in India and 63rd among universities in 2021. Notable alumni and faculties T. P. Meenakshisundaram, 1st Honorable Vice-Chancellor of MKU and Padma Bhushan awardee Mu. Varadarajan, 2nd Honorable Vice-Chancellor of MKU and recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil literature V. C. Kulandaiswamy, 4th Honorable Vice-Chancellor of MKU and Padma Bhushan awardee S. Krishnaswamy, 7th Honorable Vice-Chancellor of MKU and legendary biologist Arumugam Manthiram, fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, delivered the 2019 Nobel Lecture in Chemistry on behalf of Chemistry Nobel Laureate John B. Goodenough. A. S. Gnanasambandan, Tamil writer, scholar and literary critic G. Balasubramanian, former Vice Chancellor of Tamil University, Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu, India (4 October 2018 – 3 October 2021) G. S. Venkataraman, Padma Shri awardee Veerappan Muthukkaruppan, renowned immunologist Charle, Indian actor AR Chelliah, Indian religious leader Dharmakkan Dhanaraj, Indian Old Testament Scholar R. M. Pitchappan, eminent immunogeneticist Kunthala Jayaraman, eminent biotechnologist Kuppamuthu Dharmalingam, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate (for Biological Sciences) P. Sathasivam, 40th Chief Justice of India Rajan Sankaranarayanan, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate (for Biological Sciences) and Infosys Prize winner Rajiah Simon, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate (for Physical Sciences) Rishikesh Narayanan, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate (for Biological Sciences) Ramamirtha Jayaraman, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate (for Biological Sciences) Tho. Paramasivan, Tamil anthropologist, writer, folklorist, archeologist and professor Mohan Raghavan, Malayalam film director Mushi Santappa, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar