38 Best universities for Development Studies in Tamil Nadu

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Tamil Nadu ranked based on their research performance in Development Studies. A graph of 145K citations received by 15.1K academic papers made by 38 universities in Tamil Nadu was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. VIT University

Vellore

For Development Studies

#13 in India

#145 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Founded: 1984

2. Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Chennai

For Development Studies

#20 in India

#224 in Asia

Founded: 1959

3. Amrita University

Coimbatore

For Development Studies

#21 in India

#226 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Enrollment: 24,500

4. Anna University

Chennai

For Development Studies

#28 in India

#322 in Asia

Founded: 1978

5. SRM Institute of Science and Technology

Chennai

For Development Studies

#29 in India

#335 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Founded: 1985

6. Saveetha University

Chennai

For Development Studies

#41 in India

#431 in Asia

Founded: 2005

7. SASTRA University

Thanjavur

For Development Studies

#56 in India

#527 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1984

8. Annamalai University

Chidambaram

For Development Studies

#63 in India

#580 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 37,444
Founded: 1929

9. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

Coimbatore

For Development Studies

#65 in India

#587 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Founded: 1971

10. National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli

Tiruchirappalli

For Development Studies

#67 in India

#602 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Founded: 1964

11. Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research

Chennai

For Development Studies

#82 in India

#689 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1985

12. Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology

Chennai

For Development Studies

#86 in India

#719 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Founded: 2001

13. Kalasalingam University

Krishnankoil

For Development Studies

#106 in India

#846 in Asia

Founded: 1984

14. Bharathiar University

Coimbatore

For Development Studies

#107 in India

#851 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1982

15. Bharathidasan University

Tiruchirappalli

For Development Studies

#110 in India

#865 in Asia

Founded: 1982

16. University of Madras

Chennai

For Development Studies

#124 in India

#952 in Asia

Founded: 1857

17. Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences

Coimbatore

For Development Studies

#131 in India

#974 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1986

18. Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science

Chennai

For Development Studies

#138 in India

#999 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Founded: 1985

19. Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute

Chennai

For Development Studies

#152 in India

#1098 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1988

20. Alagappa University

Karaikudi

For Development Studies

#154 in India

#1100 in Asia

Founded: 1985

21. Karpagam Academy of Higher Education

Coimbatore

For Development Studies

#158 in India

#1126 in Asia

Founded: 2008

22. Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology

Chennai

For Development Studies

#160 in India

#1139 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Founded: 1997

23. Vels University

Chennai

For Development Studies

#168 in India

#1210 in Asia

Enrollment: 6,684
Founded: 1992

24. Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research

Chennai

For Development Studies

#184 in India

#1321 in Asia

Enrollment: 12,190
Founded: 1984

25. Central University of Tamil Nadu

Thiruvarur

For Development Studies

#187 in India

#1339 in Asia

Founded: 2009

26. Madurai Kamaraj University

Madurai

For Development Studies

#207 in India

#1413 in Asia

Founded: 1965

27. Gandhigram Rural University

Gandhigram

For Development Studies

#225 in India

#1493 in Asia

Founded: 1956

28. Avinashilingam University

Coimbatore

For Development Studies

#234 in India

#1529 in Asia

Founded: 1957

29. B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology

Chennai

For Development Studies

#243 in India

#1567 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Founded: 1984

30. Periyar University

Salem

For Development Studies

#267 in India

#1696 in Asia

Founded: 1997

31. Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R.Medical University

Chennai

For Development Studies

#269 in India

#1700 in Asia

Founded: 1987

32. Manonmaniam Sundaranar University

Tirunelveli

For Development Studies

#322 in India

#1913 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1990

33. Vinayaka Missions University

Salem

For Development Studies

#337 in India

#1969 in Asia

Founded: 1981

34. SCSVMV University

Kanchipuram

For Development Studies

#351 in India

#2049 in Asia

35. Thiruvalluvar University

Vellore

For Development Studies

#355 in India

#2076 in Asia

Founded: 2002

36. Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research

Chennai

For Development Studies

#367 in India

#2112 in Asia

Founded: 2004

37. Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University

Chennai

For Development Studies

#377 in India

#2147 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Founded: 1989

38. Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing

Chennai

For Development Studies

#381 in India

#2165 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Founded: 2007

Closest to Tamil Nadu states to learn Development Studies

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Karnataka	30	9
Andhra Pradesh	12	80
Telangana	10	44
Kerala	12	90
Maharashtra	27	16
Chhattisgarh	6	46
Odisha	14	25
Madhya Pradesh	16	58
Jharkhand	6	50
West Bengal	23	6
Gujarat	19	54
Bihar	10	148
Uttar Pradesh	37	3
Rajasthan	23	33
Haryana	39	1
Uttarakhand	12	15
Assam	9	51
Punjab	18	8
Himachal Pradesh	8	121
Jammu and Kashmir	10	73

Economics subfields in Tamil Nadu

Agricultural Economics6

Econometrics and Mathematical Economics28

Environmental Economics11

Finance36

International Trade3

Investment Banking and Stock trading9