The Annamalai University is a public state university in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The sprawling campus offers courses of higher education in arts, science, engineering, medical, management, humanities, agriculture, and physical education. The university also provides more than 500 courses through distance education. With over 32,480 students residing on campus, it is one of the largest unitary, teaching, and residential universities in Asia, and is among the most reputed and ranked universities in India including the rankings from NIRF, QS World University Rankings, Times University Rankings, CWTS Leiden Ranking, India Today Magazine. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council has conferred accreditation to the university in the fourth cycle, and subsequently with its highest 'A+' grade in 2022. Annamalai University is also recognized among the 18 universities in India having the 'Centre with Potential for Excellence in Particular Area (CPEPA)' with a focus on drug development and climate change.Established in 1929, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India. The university was also ranked as 18th most influential institution in India and It is also among the topmost google searched universities in India as well as in the World. Annamalai University is a member of the Association of Indian Universities and The Association of Commonwealth Universities. All the degrees awarded by Annamalai University are mutually recognized by all Indian Universities and Foreign Universities under the commonwealth fold. The university is also a permanent member of AMDISA (Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia) that provides the SAQS Accreditation (South Asian Quality System) to the Institutions. History The university was founded in 1929 by the entrepreneur Rajah Sir S. Rm. M. Annamalai Chettiar in the aftermath of the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. In the early 1920s, to serve the downtrodden and to promote Tamil literature, Rajah Sir S. R. M. Annamalai Chettiar founded Sri Minakshi College, Sri Minakshi Tamil College and Sri Minakshi Sanskrit College in a rural setup at Chidambaram. In 1928, Rajah Sir S. R. M. Annamalai Chettiar agreed with the local government to hand over the above said institution for establishing a university. Thus, on 1 January 1929 Annamalai University was established as per Annamalai University Act 1928 (Tamil Nadu Act 1 of 1929). The most significant development is the enactment of the Annamalai University Act, 2013 (Tamil Nadu Act 20 of 2013), which came into force from September 25, 2013, after obtaining the