List of 846 Best Universities in India (2026 Fees)

As the world-renowned writer Mark Twain puts it, India is “the cradle of the human race” where speech, history, legends, and tradition are deeply cherished. India is an Asian country which boasts of the 7th biggest country in terms of land area, housing the world’s second largest national population of 1.4 billion residents, next to China. India has been a consistent player in the world economy. Currently, it has the 7th largest economy with regards to nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In fact, it is part of the emerging countries known as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). Unsurprisingly, India is considered one of the top study abroad destinations for international students not only from Asia but from all other continents as well.

India has around 17,500 institutions for higher learning which boasts of excellence in academic instruction. Universities in India are globally recognized to have learning standards on par with top universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, or China. Moreover, studying in India guarantees an immersion to a rich cultural experience. As a vital part of human civilization, India holds invaluable contributions to what the world is today. Indians are doing a splendid job in treasuring cultural facets to teach the next generation of learners. With everything it can offer, India maintains a low cost of living. International students in the country can revel in education that is of outstanding quality without spending too much.

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5 Reasons to Study in India

International students flock to India for several reasons. The five primary reasons why a student should consider India as a study abroad destination are its prestigious universities, employment opportunities, diverse communities, scholarship opportunities, and affordable costs.

1. Prestigious Universities

With its large size, India has a number of universities which international students can attend. Each university boasts of a reputable education system, consistent with what students need to enter the employment world. Aside from the fact that universities use English as the medium of instruction, these institutions offer a variety of study programs in excellent academic standards. India is known for its engineering programs which have produced countless professionals. In fact, about 90 countries all over the world buy their software supplies from India due to the engineering quality. Moreover, many of the world’s inventions came from India. For instance, mathematical concepts such as the zero, decimal system, calculus, and algebra originated in the country.

2. Employment Opportunities

International students in India have a variety of internship and job opportunities. India has a flourishing economy and is considered an emerging country. With this, there are many companies where students can acquire practical training, especially those who are keen to pursue engineering and technology professions. While the Indian student visa does not allow the holder to get a job in the country, an option is to apply for an employment visa after the completion of the study program.

3. Diverse Communities

India, with its highly dense population, is comprised of residents from various cultural backgrounds. Because of this diversity, international students can easily find a group which can help them adjust to their new surroundings. Moreover, India is the world’s second largest English speaking country. Most Indians speak and understand English, so getting around and adapting to the Indian lifestyle will not be too much of a challenge. India also has student-friendly cities which can give foreign enrollees a convenient university life.

4. Scholarship Opportunities

Although tuition fees and living costs in India are relatively low, scholarship programs can help a great deal to continue 3 to 5 years of higher education. India offers generous scholarships for international students. The most popular ones are the General Cultural Scholarships, Reciprocal Scholarships, and Commonwealth Fellowships. Check out our article on Scholarships for International Students in India for a detailed list of opportunities.

5. Affordable Costs

India is one of the least costly study abroad destinations in the world. Tuition fees per academic year are approximately $5,000 compared to $20,000 to $30,000 in European and American countries. Likewise, the cost of living in India is affordable for foreign students. Each student can expect to spend $3,200 per year for accommodation, transportation, food, and other living costs.

Facts about Universities in India

  • There are more than 350 universities in India. About a hundred of which is included in international rankings for quality education.
  • The University Grants Commission (UGC) is the administrative authority which manages the Indian university education.
  • Universities in India are known for their competence in teaching space technology, bioinformatics, bio-technology, and nanotechnology. Its top universities have made a name in the international arena as leading engineering institutions.
  • India’s most prestigious universities are the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IISc Bangalore), and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi).
  • The IIT Bombay is popular for its superior curriculum in research, computer science, chemical engineering, civil engineering, and art and design.
  • Established in 1909, the IISc Bangalore is known to locals as the Tata Institute. This university is famous for its exceptional graduate and postgraduate study programs in various fields, particularly in chemical engineering and materials science.
  • Colleges and universities in India use the English language as their medium of instruction.
  • Universities in India are modelled after the British university system.
  • By tradition, university students in India take an examination after the academic year. However, more and more universities follow a more contemporary move to use semester-based evaluations.
  • Undergraduate study programs in India take 3 to 5 years to complete. Usually, arts, humanities, and social sciences courses take 3 years to finish. However, engineering, architecture, and medicine courses may take 4 to 5 years, depending on the university curricula.
  • The academic year in India differs for every state because of the varying climate. However, most universities in major cities start their academic year in July and end in May of the following year.
  • Tuition fees in universities in India are considerably lower. For an academic year, an international student can expect to pay INR 350,000 ($5,000).

What is education like in India?

The education system in India is patterned from the British system. Children are required to attend primary and secondary school. After which, they can opt to pursue vocational education or tertiary education. India, because of the presence of many immigrants, houses many international schools which offer competitive curricula accepted worldwide. Most of its schools implement the International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum, although other institutions use other equally competitive curricula depending on the needs of their enrollees. With regards to the language of instruction used in Indian schools, Hindi is usually used for primary and secondary education. Nonetheless, English is being used primarily by international and private schools. Below is the education system in India at a glance.

Primary School

In India, children from age 6 to 14 are required to attend primary school, with two tranches, lower primary (Standards I to V) and upper primary (Standards VI to VIII). Primary education is provided free by the Indian government. Private schools offer primary education, but their facilities are often of lower standards than those in public schools. Moreover, the language of instruction used in primary education in India is a regional language. The English language is incorporated into the system once the children begin Standard III.

Secondary School

Secondary education in India starts after completing primary education. There are 2 cycles followed by secondary schools, Standard X or lower secondary school and Standard XII or upper/senior secondary school. At the end of lower secondary school, students can take an examination which will allow them to enroll in Standard XI. After completing Standard XII, they can take an examination to be able to enroll in a university.

Education Costs in India

Education and living costs in India are affordable compared to other popular study abroad destinations in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. This is mainly because the Indian government funds most of the country’s education system.

  • Studying in India will cost approximately INR 350,000 ($5,000) per academic year.
  • Student accommodation in India is affordable. Some universities provide on-campus housing to international students. However, students can also opt for other options outside the campus, i.e. a private hostel, a private apartment, or a shared apartment. In general, monthly accommodation can cost approximately INR 10,000 ($143).
  • Living costs for a student in India, including accommodation, transportation, food, and utility bills, may range from INR 18,500 ($265) to INR 20,000 ($287).

How to Get a Student Visa for India

An international student (except a student from Bhutan, Nepal, and Maldives) who wants to study among universities in India will need a visa to enter the country. An Indian student visa is a multiple-entry visa, meaning a student visa holder can enter India through any port in the country. The visa is issued to prospective students who want to enroll in an accredited and recognized institution in India. It can be valid for a maximum of 5 years until the study program is completed. In some cases, the student visa may be extended. Every prospective student should have a visa before entering the country.

Below are steps in applying for the Indian student visa (S):

  • Apply for admission at a university in India. Check out our admission application guide for international students looking to study in India.
  • Secure a letter of acceptance from the university.
  • Visit the Indian website for student visa application.
  • Check the requirements for student visa application for your country.
  • Prepare the necessary documents, such as the following:
    • Valid passport (should be valid for at least 6 months)
    • Photocopy of passport name page
    • Recent passport photographs (2 pieces)
    • Duly accomplished visa application form
    • Letter of acceptance in a university
    • Details of the study program
    • Proof of residential address
    • Proof of financial capability
  • Visit the nearest Indian embassy and submit the requirements.
  • Pay the applicable fees. Usually, the visa application fee ranges from $13 to $108, depending on the applicant’s country of origin.
  • Student visa applications in India do not require proof of medical insurance like other countries. However, international students are highly recommended to acquire one in case untoward incidents happen during the duration of their studies. Moreover, students who have not yet been accepted to a university in India can obtain a provisional student visa to process the university admission. The provisional visa is valid for 3 months. Furthermore, students who have been awarded a scholarship should show a certification as proof of financial sponsorship on their studies.

Quick Facts about India

  • The country’s name, India, is from the Indus River.
  • With a population of 1.3 billion, India is the largest democracy in the world.
  • The Indus Valley civilization, from which India comes from, is the world’s oldest, largest, and continuous civilization.
  • India produces the second highest number of engineers and scientists.
  • The method of shampooing originated in India. The term ‘shampoo’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘champu’, which means ‘massage’.
  • The mathematical concept ‘zero’ was invented by an Indian mathematician. Likewise, branches of mathematics, i.e. trigonometry, calculus, and algebra, and the decimal and place value system in math came from India.
  • One of the world’s Seven Wonders, the Taj Mahal, is in India.
  • The game of chess originated in India.
  • Snakes and ladders was also invented by Indians.
  • Takshila is the world’s oldest university, established in 700 B.C.
  • Bollywood, the movie industry in India, is the world’s largest film industry considering the outputs every year.
  • Around 125 million Indians speak English. This is the reason why India is considered the world’s second largest English speaking country.
  • India has more than 150,000 post offices, making it home to the world’s largest postal system.
  • Most Indians follow Hinduism as their religion. In fact, the country is home to the world’s largest Hindu population.
  • Buddhism and Jainism are religious philosophies which originated from India.
  • There are over 130,000 active mosques in India, a surprising number considering the fact that the country is not dominantly Muslim.
  • India was the first country to detect the presence of water on the moon.
  • The Khari Baoli in New Delhi is the largest wholesale spice market in Asia.
  • The Indian Railway is the world’s largest employer, with more than 1 million employees.
  • India boasts of a number of Guinness World Record holders, such as the world’s shortest woman (Jyoti Kisange Amge), the most teeth in one’s mouth (Vijay Kumar V.A.), the world’s largest school (City Montessori School in Lucknow), the most number of children walking for peace, the world’s biggest family, and the world’s largest attended event (Kumbha Mela attended by 60 million people).
  • Shakuntala Devi, a math prodigy from India, is dubbed as the ‘human calculator’.
  • India produces the most milk in the world. In total, it contributes 16% of the total global production. Similarly, India is the world’s largest exporter of tea.
  • India exports quality software to several countries. Almost 90 countries from around the world buy their software needs from India.
  • Started more than 5,000 years ago, the practice of yoga originated in India.

India waits for you to explore its interesting student life. Ready to take on the adventure? Share this article with your friends today, and explore India together!

Below is a comprehensive list of all universities in India (Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Nellore, Kurnool, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Kadapa, Kakinada, Eluru, Anantapur, Vijayanagaram, Ongole, Nandyal, Chittoor, Machilipatnam, Adoni, Tenali, Proddatur, Hindupur, Bhimavaram, Madanapalle, Guntakal, Srikakulam, Dharmavaram, Gudivada, Narasaraopet, Tadipatri, Kavali, Tadepalligudem, Amaravati, Assam, Guwahati, Bihar, Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Bihar Sharif, Darbhanga, Purnia, Arrah, Begusarai, Katihar, Munger, Chapra, Danapur, Saharsa, Sasaram, Hajipur, Dehri, Siwan, Bettiah, Motihari, Kishanganj, Jamalpur, Buxar, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Raipur, Bhilai, Korba, Bilaspur, Durg, Delhi, Kirari Suleman Nagar, New Delhi, Karawal Nagar, Nangloi Jat, Bhalswa Jahangir Pur, Sultan Pur Majra, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Gandhidham, Nadiad, Gandhinagar, Anand, Morbi, Mehsana, Surendranagar Dudhrej, Haryana, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Panipat, Karnal, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, Bhiwani, Ambala, Sirsa, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu, Jharkhand, Dhanbad, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Mango, Deoghar, Karnataka, Bangalore, Hubli–Dharwad, Mysore, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Belgaum, Davanagere, Bellary, Bijapur, Shimoga, Tumkur, Raichur, Bidar, Hospet, Udupi, Kerala, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Madhya Pradesh, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Dewas, Satna, Sagar, Ratlam, Rewa, Katni, Singrauli, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Morena, Bhind, Guna, Shivpuri, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Aurangabad, Navi Mumbai, Solapur, Mira-Bhayandar, Jalgaon, Bhiwandi, Amravati, Nanded, Kolhapur, Akola, Ulhasnagar, Sangli-Miraj & Kupwad, Malegaon, Latur, Dhule, Ahmednagar, Satara, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Ichalkaranji, Jalna, Ambarnath, Bhusawal, Panvel, Manipur, Imphal, Mizoram, Aizawl, Odisha, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Raurkela Industrial Township, Puducherry, Ozhukarai, Pondicherry, Punjab, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, Phagwara, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur, Bhilwara, Alwar, Bharatpur, Sikar, Pali, Sri Ganganagar, Sikkim, Gangtok, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, Salem, Erode, Ambattur, Tirunelveli, Avadi, Tiruvottiyur, Thoothukudi, Nagercoil, Thanjavur, Pallavaram, Dindigul, Vellore, Kumbakonam, Karaikudi, Telangana, Hyderabad, Warangal, Nizamabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Ramagundam, Secunderabad, Mahaboobnagar, Suryapet, Miryalaguda, Tripura, Agartala, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Meerut, Varanasi, Allahabad, Bareilly, Aligarh, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Noida, Firozabad, Loni, Jhansi, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Shahjahanpur, Rampur, Mau, Farrukhabad, Hapur, Etawah, Mirzapur, Bulandshahr, Sambhal, Amroha, Fatehpur, Raebareli, Orai, Bahraich, Jaunpur, Unnao, Uttarakhand, Dehradun, Haridwar, West Bengal, Kolkata, Howrah, Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, South Dumdum, Gopalpur, Bhatpara, Panihati, Kamarhati, Bardhaman, Kulti, Bally, Barasat, North Dumdum, Baranagar, Uluberia, Naihati, Bidhannagar, Kharagpur, Malda, Haldia, Madhyamgram, Berhampore, Raiganj, Serampore, Chinsurah). Edarabia strives to offer the latest updates, helping you find the best university in India with information on tuition fees, accreditation details, videos, photos, location map, community reviews and ratings.

Edarabia showcases all universities and colleges in India which can be filtered by courses and tuition fees. International students looking to get a degree in India can choose from a diverse range of programs and diplomas and obtain their Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhDs (or MBAs) from some of the top-rated institutions. Some universities also offer online courses through which students can apply for distance learning and get an online degree in certain fields.

Students who require financial aid can apply for scholarships in order to study higher education at a lower cost. Student visas and accommodation are also provided to students at many universities. There are study abroad and exchange programs offered in order to promote language development skills while giving students the opportunity to interact with other cultures around the world. Additionally, each university/college has ratings based on student reviews and are ranked below accordingly.

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INR 1,000

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Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
  • Address: IIT Bombay, Powai, Maharashtra
  • Founded: 1958
  • 56 Reviews
  • USD 3,000
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Aegis School Of Business, Data Science, Cyber Security & Telecommunication
  • Address: 7th Floor, CETTM,Technology Street Hiranandani Gardens, Powai
  • Founded: 2002
  • 52 Reviews
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Indian Institute of Science
  • Address: The Registrar Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, INDIA
  • Founded: 1909
  • 47 Reviews
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Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
  • Address: 110 016 National Capital Territory of Delhi
  • Founded: 1961
  • 32 Reviews
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REVA University
  • Address: Rukmini Knowledge Park, Kattigenahalli,Yelahanka
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Garden City University
  • Address: 16th KM, Old Madras Road
  • Founded: 2013
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Indian Institute of Technology Madras
  • Address: IIT P.O.
  • Founded: 1959
  • 19 Reviews
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Alliance University
  • Address: Chikkahagade Cross, Chandapura - Anekal Main Road, Anekal , Karnataka
  • Founded: 2010
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B.S.Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology
  • Address: GST Road, Vandalur, Tamilnadu
  • Founded: 1984
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Jamia Millia Islamia
  • Address: National Capital Territory of Delhi
  • Founded: 1920
  • 15 Reviews
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Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
  • Address: Homi Bhabha Road, Navy Nagar, Colaba
  • Founded: 1945
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International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore
  • Address: 26/C, Electronics City, Hosur Road
  • Founded: 1999
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Jawaharlal Nehru University
  • Address: New Delhi, 110 067 National Capital Territory of Delhi
  • Founded: 1969
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Delhi Technological University
  • Address: Shahbad Daulatpur, Main Bawana Road
  • Founded: 1940
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Osmania University
  • Address: Hyderabad, 500 007 Andhra Pradesh
  • Founded: 1918
  • 13 Reviews
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Tata Institute of Social Sciences
  • Address: V.N. Purav Marg, Deonar
  • Founded: 1936
  • 12 Reviews
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Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
  • Address: Kozhikode
  • Founded: 1997
  • 10 Reviews
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Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT)
  • Address: Near Don Bosco School, Opp Khalsa College, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Matunga, Maharashtra
  • Founded: 1933
  • 10 Reviews
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Govt. Model Engineering College
  • Address: Thrikkakara
  • Founded: 1989
  • 9 Reviews
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International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad
  • Address: Gachibowli, Telangana
  • Founded: 1998
  • 9 Reviews
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Athena School of Management
  • Address: 401 Delta, Hiranandani Business Park, Powai
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Azim Premji University
  • Address: Pixel Park, B Block Electronics City, Hosur Road (Beside NICE Road)
  • Founded: 2010
  • 8 Reviews
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Cochin University of Science and Technology
  • Address: Cochin
  • Founded: 1971
  • 8 Reviews
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Ramaiah Institute of Technology
  • Address: MSR Nagar, MSRIT Post, Karnataka
  • Founded: 1962
  • 8 Reviews
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2026-01-01T00:01:02+04:00