University of Madras

University of Madras
Other name
Cheṉṉai palkalaikalhagam
MottoDoctrina Vim Promovet Insitam (Latin)
Motto in English
"Learning Promotes Natural Talent"
TypeState university
Established5 September 1857 (5 September 1857)
ChancellorGovernor of Tamil Nadu
Vice-ChancellorVacant
Academic staff
345
Students4,819
Postgraduates3,239
1,099
Location
Chennai (Madras)
, ,
13°3′58″N 80°16′58″E / 13.06611°N 80.28278°E / 13.06611; 80.28278
CampusUrban
Colours  Cardinal
NicknameMadras Tigers
AffiliationsUGC, NAAC, AIU, ACU
MascotTiger
Websiteunom.ac.in

The University of Madras is a public state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an act of the Legislative Council of India under the British government.

The university is the alma mater of five Presidents of India, including A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; three Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of India; two Indian physics Nobel laureates, CV Raman and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar; several notable mathematicians including Srinivasa Ramanujan and Abel Prize winner S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan; and Turing Award winner Raj Reddy among others.

The University of Madras is a collegiate research university and has six campuses in the city: Chepauk, Marina, Guindy, Taramani, Maduravoyal and Chetpet. It offers more than 230 courses under 87 academic departments of post-graduate teaching and research grouped under 18 schools, covering diverse areas such as sciences, social sciences, humanities, management and medicine along with 121 affiliated colleges and 53 approved research institutions. The university houses national centres for advanced research in nanotechnology, photonics and neurotoxicity. In addition, it has three Centres of Advanced Study in biophysics, botany and the Ramanujan Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council has conferred 'five star' accreditation to the university in the first cycle, and subsequently with its highest A++ grade. The University of Madras has been given the status of "university with potential for excellence (UPE)" by the University Grants Commission. Madras 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.