State universities are public universities run by the State Government of each of the states and territories of India, and are usually established by a local legislative assembly act. The University Grants Commission (UGC), draws its power from the University Grants Commission Act, 1956. In addition, 15 Professional Councils are established, controlling different aspects of accreditation and coordination. The UGC publishes and regularly updates the lists of state universities. , the UGC lists 459 active state universities. The oldest establishment date listed by the UGC is 1857, shared by the University of Calcutta, the University of Madras and the University of Mumbai.
Section 12 (B) of the UGC Act of 1956 also grants the UGC the right to "allocate and disburse, out of the Fund of the Commission, grants to Universities..." As such, the UGC categorizes state universities as either "declared fit to receive Central/UGC assistance under Section 12 (B) of the UGC Act–1956", or not, and notes this status at the lists published. Updates to these declarations are done in meetings of the UGC and published in the minutes. The latest list, , lists 267 universities as fit to receive Central/UGC assistance.
Other types of universities controlled by the UGC include: Central universities, or Union universities are established by Act of Parliament and are under the purview of the Department of Higher Education in the Union Human Resource Development Ministry. Deemed university, or "Deemed-to-be-University", is a status of autonomy granted by the Department of Higher Education on the advice of the UGC, under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956. Private universities are approved by the UGC. They can grant degrees but they are not allowed to have off-campus affiliated colleges.
Apart from the above universities, other institutions are granted the permission to autonomously award degrees. These institutes do not affiliate colleges and are not officially called "universities" but "autonomous organizations" or "autonomous institutes". They fall under the administrative control of the Department of Higher Education. These organizations include the Indian Institutes of Technology, the National Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, the Indian Institutes of Management (though these award diplomas, not degrees) and other autonomous institutes.
Universities by state Of the State of India there are state universities in all states except Mizoram and Nagaland. The state with the most state universities in India is Karnataka with 38 universities. Of the union territories, there are state universities in Chandigarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Puducherry.
+ State universities in India by stateStateFit under Section 12 (B)?Totaluniversities Andhra Pradesh 18 10 28 Arunachal Pradesh 0 1 1 Assam 7 20 27 Bihar 10 11 21 Chandigarh 1 0 1 Chhattisgarh 6 10 16 Delhi 7 4 11 Goa 1 0 1 Gujarat 18 12 30 Haryana 13 8 21 Himachal Pradesh 4 3 7 Jammu and Kashmir 6 3 9 Jharkhand 6 7 13 Karnataka 20 23 43 Kerala 10 5 15 Ladakh 0 1 1 Madhya Pradesh 17 9 26 Maharashtra 19 11 30 Manipur 0 3 3 Meghalaya 0 1 1 Odisha 13 11 24 Puducherry 0 1 1 Punjab 7 7 14 Rajasthan 12 16 28 Sikkim 0 2 2 Tamil Nadu 21 1 22 Telangana 13 6 19 Tripura 1 1 2 Uttar Pradesh 22 20 42 Uttarakhand 5 6 11 West Bengal 22 16 38 Total 279 221 500
List of universities
In the list below, the term "Section 12 (B)?" refers to being "declared fit to receive Central/UGC assistance under Section 12 (B) of the UGC Act–1956". The year of establishment is the year stated by the UGC. Cases where this year is different than the year stated by the university are noted. Differences in title are also noted, except minor typographical errors and "University of X"/"X University" differences.
Andhra Pradesh There are 29 state universities in Andhra Pradesh. UniversityLocationSection 12 (B)?EstablishedSpecializationSources Acharya Nagarjuna University Guntur 1976 General Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural UniversityGuntur1964Agricultural Adikavi Nannaya University Rajamahendravaram 2006 General Andhra Kesari University Ongole 2022 General Andhra Pradesh Fisheries UniversityVijayawada2020Ichthyology Andhra University Visakhapatnam 1926 General Cluster UniversityKurnool2019General Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University Visakhapatnam 2008 Legal Dr. Abdul Haq Urdu UniversityKurnool2016General and Urdu Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Srikakulam Srikakulam 2008 General Dr. B.R Ambedkar Open University Eluru 2026 General Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences Vijayawada 1986 Healthcare Dr. YSR Architecture and Fine Arts University Kadapa 2020 Architecture and Fine Arts Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University Tadepalligudem 2011 Horticulture Dravidian University Kuppam 1997 Dravidian languages Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anantapur Anantapuram 1946 Technology Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada Kakinada 1946 Technology Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University - Gurajada, Vizianagaram Vizianagaram 2022 Technology Krishna University Machilipatnam 2008 General Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, NuzvidNuzvid 2008 Technology Rayalaseema University Kurnool 2008 General Sri Krishnadevaraya University Anantapuram 1981 General Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam Tirupati 1983 Women's only Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences Tirupati 1993 Medical Sri Venkateswara University Tirupati 1954 General Sri Venkateswara Vedic University Tirupati 2006 Vedic studies Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University Tirupati 2005 Veterinary school Vikrama Simhapuri University Nellore 2008 General Yogi Vemana University Kadapa 2006 General
Arunachal Pradesh There is one state university in Arunachal Pradesh namely Arunachal Pradesh University (APU) established in 2022 at Pasighat, East Siang District.
Assam There are 27 state universities in Assam.
UniversityLocationSection 12 (B)?EstablishedSpecializationSources Assam Agricultural University Jorhat 1968 Agriculture Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Cooperative Management Sivasagar 2010 Cooperative Management Assam Science and Technology University Jalukbari 2011The university states an establishment date of 2010 per letter from Governor. The UGC lists 2011. Science, technology Assam Skill UniversityMangaldoi2021SkillAssam Veterinary and Fishery UniversityKhanapara2024Veterinary Assam Women's University Jorhat 2013 Women's only Birangana Sati Sadhani Rajyik VishwavidyalayaGolaghat district2021 General Bodoland University Kokrajhar 2009 General Bhattadev University Pathsala 2017 General Bongaigaon University Bongaigaon 2023 General Cotton UniversityListed under the institute's former name, "Cotton College State University". Guwahati 2011 General Dibrugarh University Dibrugarh 1965 General Gauhati University Guwahati 1948 General Gurucharan UniversitySilchar2023General Jagannath Barooah University Jorhat 2023 General Kokrajhar UniversityKokrajhar2024 General Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University Guwahati 2007 Distance education Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University Nalbari 2011 Sanskrit, Ancient studies Madhabdev University Narayanpur 2018 General Majuli University of Culture Majuli 2019 Cultural Studies Nagaon UniversityNagaon2023General National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam Nalbari 2009 Legal North Lakhimpur University North Lakhimpur 2023 General Rabindranath Tagore University, Hojai Hojai 2019 General Sibsagar UniversitySivasagar2023General Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences Bhangagarh 2007The university states an establishment date of 2009. The UGC lists 2007, the year of the establishment Act. Health sciences Sri Sri Aniruddhadeva Sports University Chabua, Dibrugarh 2021 Sports Science
Bihar There are 21 state universities in Bihar.
UniversityLocationSection 12 (B)?EstablishedSpecializationSources Aryabhatta Knowledge University Patna 2008The university states an establishment date of 2010. The UGC lists 2008, the year of the establishment act. Technology Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University Muzaffarpur 1952 General Bihar Agricultural University Bhagalpur 2010 Agriculture Bihar Animal Sciences University Patna 2018 Animal Science Bihar Engineering University Patna 2022 Engineering Bihar Sports University Rajgir 2022 Sports Bihar University of Health Sciences Patna 2022 Medical Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University Madhepura 1993 General Chanakya National Law University Patna 2006 Legal Jai Prakash University Chhapra 1995 General Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit UniversityListed by the UGC as "K.S.Darbhanga Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya" Darbhanga 1961 Sanskrit Lalit Narayan Mithila University Darbhanga 1972 General Magadh University Gaya 1962 General Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University Patna 2004The university states 1976 as the year of establishment, per the establishment Act, "with effect from 10 April 1998". The UGC lists 2004. Arabic, Persian Munger University Munger 2018 General Nalanda Open University Patna 1987 Distance education Patliputra University Patna 2018 General Patna University Patna 1917 General Purnea University Purnea 2018 General Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur UniversityListed by the UGC as "T.M.Bhagalpur University" Bhagalpur 1960 General Veer Kunwar Singh University Arrah 1994 General
Chandigarh There is one state university in Chandigarh.
UniversityLocationSection 12 (B)?EstablishedSpecializationSources Panjab UniversityListed by the UGC as "Punjab University". Chandigarh 1947The university was established in 1882 in Lahore, now in Pakistan. The UGC lists 1947, the year of partition. The university relocated to Chandigarh in 1956. General
Chhattisgarh There are 16 state universities in Chhattisgarh.
UniversityLocationSection 12 (B)?EstablishedSpecializationSources Atal Bihari Vajpayee Vishwavidyalaya Bilaspur 2011The university states an establishment date of June 2012. The UGC lists 2011, the year of the establishment Act. General Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University Bhilai 2004 Technology Dau Shri Vasudev Chandrakar Kamdhenu Vishwavidyalaya Raipur 2011The university states an establishment date of 11 April 2012. The UGC lists 2011, the year of the establishment Act. Veterinary, animal sciences Hemchand Yadav Vishwavidyalaya Durg 2015 General Hidayatullah National Law University Raipur 2003 Legal Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya Raipur 1987 Agriculture Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya Khairagarh 1956 Music International Institute of Information Technology, Naya Raipur Naya Raipur 2014 Information Technology Kushabhau Thakre Patrakarita Avam Jansanchar Vishwavidyalaya Raipur 2004 Journalism Mahatma Gandhi University of Horticulture & ForestryDurg2020 Horticulture Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University Raipur 1964 General Pandit Sundarlal Sharma (Open) University Bilaspur 2004 Distance education Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Memorial Health Sciences and Ayush University of ChhattisgarhListed by the UGC in its former name "Ayush and Health Sciences University of Chhattisgarh". Raipur 2008 Healthcare Sarguja University Ambikapur 2008 General Shaheed Mahendra Karma Vishwavidyalaya Jagdalpur 2008 General Shaheed Nandkumar Patel UniversityRaigarh2020General
Delhi There are eleven state universities in Delhi.