Private Universities Amendment Bill will attract world-class institutes to Tamil Nadu: Higher Education Minister
The Tamil Nadu government has passed an amendment to the Private Universities Act to lower land and endowment requirements for new institutions. The move aims to attract world-class private universities to the state to improve educational infrastructure and job readiness.
Why it matters
This policy shift could significantly alter the higher education landscape in Tamil Nadu by incentivizing foreign and private investment in academic infrastructure.
Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan on Thursday (September 10, 2026) defended the State government’s decision to bring in amendments to the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019, lowering the minimum requirement of land and endowment size. He claimed the State was seeking to attract world-class private universities with the best facilities.
Speaking to reporters after attending the graduation day of a private women’s college in Chennai, Mr. Viswanathan said that with the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the government was seeking to set up integrated universities with good syllabus, curriculum, faculty, and infrastructure, similar to foreign universities like Oxford.
“Tamil Nadu has historically been an education hub. It needs world-class universities and with that in mind, we have reduced the requirements. Multinational companies in the fields of manufacturing or IT services are coming to India and have their eyes set for Tamil Nadu for recruitment,” he contended.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in