Education

College of Fort St. George founded

Francis Whyte Ellis founded the College of Fort St. George in Madras to train officials in South Indian languages.

LMS seminary moves to Nagercoil

Charles Mead shifted the London Missionary Society's seminary from Mylaudy to Nagercoil, where it grew into Scott Christian College.

First girls' school opens in Tirunelveli

The first school for girls in the Tirunelveli region was opened in 1821.

Board of Public Instruction set up in Madras

The Madras government founded a Board of Public Instruction in 1826 to oversee education in the Presidency.

General Assembly's School, origin of Madras Christian College

Scottish missionary John Anderson opened the General Assembly's School in Madras, which grew into Madras Christian College.

Madras Preparatory School, forerunner of Presidency College

A government preparatory school opened in Madras in 1840; it grew into the High School and eventually Presidency College.

Pachaiyappa's Central Institution opens

Funded by the bequest of merchant Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, Pachaiyappa's Central Institution opened in Madras.

Jesuits found St. Joseph's College at Nagapattinam

French Jesuits opened a college at Nagapattinam that later moved to Tiruchirappalli as St. Joseph's College.

Wood's Despatch on education

Charles Wood's education despatch called for universities in the presidency towns and a graded school system across India.

Provincial School opens at Kumbakonam

A government Provincial School opened at Kumbakonam, later the Government Arts College known as the Cambridge of South India.

University of Madras founded

An act of the Legislative Council incorporated the University of Madras, among the first three modern universities in India.

University of Madras holds its first B.A. examination

The University of Madras, founded in 1857, conducted its first Bachelor of Arts examination; C. W. Damodaram Pillai was among its first candidates.

Lawrence Asylum founded at Lovedale in the Nilgiris

A Lawrence military asylum for the children of British soldiers opened at Lovedale near Ooty; it became the Lawrence School.

Agricultural school opens at Saidapet

An agricultural school was started at Saidapet, Madras, the institution that later became the agricultural college at Coimbatore.

Presidency College moves to its Marina building

Presidency College, Madras moved into its new building opposite Marina Beach, on today's Kamaraj Salai.

Senate House of the University of Madras completed

Built from 1874 to 1879 to a design by Robert Chisholm, the Senate House on the Marina was an early Indo-Saracenic landmark.

American College established in Madurai

American missionaries raised their Madurai mission school to a collegiate department in 1881, creating the American College.

St. Joseph's College moves from Nagapattinam to Tiruchirappalli

St. Joseph's College, a Jesuit institution established at Nagapattinam in 1844, relocated to Tiruchirappalli.

Victoria Technical Institute opens in Madras

Marking Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, the Victoria Technical Institute opened on Pantheon Road in Egmore.

Sarah Tucker College opens in Palayamkottai

In 1895 the Sarah Tucker High School at Palayamkottai became a college, the earliest women's college in South India.

Connemara Public Library opens

The Connemara Public Library, founded in 1890 by Governor Lord Connemara, opened to the public in Madras in 1896.

Highclerc School, later Kodaikanal International School, opens

Margaret Eddy opened Highclerc School at Kodaikanal for missionary children on 1 July 1901; it became Kodaikanal International School.

Madras Veterinary College established

Housed at first in a modest building called Doblin Hall, the Madras Veterinary College opened its doors on 1 October 1903.

Muthulakshmi Reddy graduates from Madras Medical College

Muthulakshmi Reddy, the first woman admitted to Madras Medical College in 1907, graduated in 1912 and became one of India's first women doctors.

Madras College for Women (Queen Mary's College) founded

In 1914 Dorothy de la Hey opened the Madras College for Women on the Marina, the first women's college in the city, which took the name Queen Mary's in 1917.

Women's Christian College founded in Madras

Twelve missionary societies from Britain, Canada and the USA jointly founded the Women's Christian College in Madras in 1915.

Madras Elementary Education Act

A Madras statute made elementary schooling compulsory for both boys and girls and raised spending on primary schools.

Madras University Act

A fresh Madras University Act enlarged the University of Madras's governing bodies and gave them a more representative character.

Loyola College founded in Madras

Loyola College in Madras, affiliated to the University of Madras, was established by the French Jesuit Francis Bertram.

Andhra University established by Madras Act

After a bill carried with Tamil votes, the Madras legislature set up Andhra University for the Presidency's Telugu districts.

Annamalai University founded

Annamalai University was established at Chidambaram through the endowment of Annamalai Chettiar as a residential university.

Madras Christian College moves to Tambaram

After a century in the city centre, Madras Christian College moved to a large new campus at Tambaram.

Alagappa College of Technology founded

Funded by Alagappa Chettiar, the University of Madras set up the Alagappa College of Technology for courses such as chemical engineering.

Defence Services Staff College re-established at Wellington

After Partition the Indian staff college was re-established at Wellington in the Nilgiris, replacing the Staff College at Quetta.

PSG College of Technology founded in Coimbatore

PSG and Sons Charities started an engineering college at Peelamedu, Coimbatore, on the campus of its 1926 industrial institute.

Rajaji's Modified Scheme of Elementary Education

Rajaji's two-shift school scheme, criticised as Kula Kalvi Thittam (hereditary education), triggered protests and was later dropped.

Gandhigram Rural Institute founded near Dindigul

Following Gandhian ideas of education, G. Ramachandran and T. S. Soundaram established the Gandhigram Rural Institute.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras founded

Classes started at IIT Madras in Guindy, the third IIT, which was set up with West German help.

Regional Engineering College founded at Tiruchirappalli

The Regional Engineering College at Tiruchirappalli, now NIT Tiruchirappalli, was established jointly by the Union and state governments.

Madurai University founded

Madurai University, renamed Madurai Kamaraj University in 1978, was established as the main university of southern Tamil Nadu.

SC and ST students exempted from tuition fees

A 1970 Government Order exempted Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students up to the Pre-University Course from paying tuition fees.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University established

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University came into existence with its headquarters in Coimbatore.

Madras Institute of Development Studies founded

Economist Malcolm Adiseshiah and Elizabeth Adiseshiah founded the Madras Institute of Development Studies.

Anna University established

Anna University was established in Madras as a technical university, named after former Chief Minister C. N. Annadurai.

Tamil University founded at Thanjavur

The Tamil University was established in Thanjavur as a research university devoted to the Tamil language and culture.

Bharathidasan University established in Tiruchirappalli

The state government established Bharathidasan University at Tiruchirappalli, named after the Tamil poet Bharathidasan.

Bharathiar University established in Coimbatore

Bharathiar University, named after the poet Subramania Bharati, was established as a state university in Coimbatore.

Mother Teresa Women's University founded at Kodaikanal

The Tamil Nadu government established Mother Teresa Women's University at Kodaikanal, a state university dedicated to women's education.

Vellore Engineering College founded, later VIT

G. Viswanathan founded Vellore Engineering College as a self-financing institution; it grew into the Vellore Institute of Technology.

Tamil Nadu Medical University created

Presidential assent was given to the Tamil Nadu Medical University Act; the university opened in Madras in 1988 and later took MGR's name.

Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University founded

A separate university for veterinary and animal sciences, TANUVAS, was established at Madhavaram Milk Colony in Madras.

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University founded at Tirunelveli

A state university for the southern districts, named after the Tamil scholar Manonmaniam Sundaranar, was established at Tirunelveli.

Free bus passes for students

The Karunanidhi government introduced free bus travel for government school and college students and half fares for private institutions.

Periyar University established at Salem

Periyar University, named after E. V. Ramasamy, was established at Salem on his birth anniversary.

Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University inaugurated

Chennai saw the inauguration of a state law university named for B. R. Ambedkar, created by a 1996 Act to place every law college under a single body.

Free bicycles for higher secondary students

Free bicycles for higher secondary students were introduced by the Jayalalithaa government, and the scheme later reached every Class 11 student.

Tamil Nadu Open University established

Through the Tamil Nadu Open University Act, 2002, the state set up an open university in Chennai offering distance higher education.

Professional course admissions law and end of entrance tests

With common entrance tests abolished, a 2006 law reorganised professional course admissions and brought reservation to private colleges.

Samacheer Kalvi: uniform school education

Tamil Nadu introduced a common syllabus across state, matriculation and other school boards; the Supreme Court upheld it in 2011.

Fee support for first-generation graduates

The state announced a scholarship to pay tuition and other fees of first graduates in a family who join professional courses.

Anna Centenary Library opens in Kotturpuram

A large public library named after C. N. Annadurai opened in Chennai on his birth anniversary.

Free laptop scheme for students

Students at government and aided schools and colleges started receiving free laptops from the AIADMK government.

Death of S. Anitha and the NEET protests

Dalit student S. Anitha, who had challenged NEET in the Supreme Court, died by suicide, triggering protests across the state.

7.5 percent medical seat quota for government school students

The Governor assented to a law reserving 7.5 percent of medical seats for students who studied in government schools.

Illam Thedi Kalvi launched

A volunteer-led programme was launched to help school children recover learning lost during COVID-19 school closures.

Naan Mudhalvan skill development scheme launched

Naan Mudhalvan, a state scheme offering students skills training and career guidance, set out to reach about 10 lakh young people annually.

Kalaignar Centenary Library opens in Madurai

A large state-run public library named after M. Karunanidhi was opened in Madurai.

Tamil Pudhalvan scheme for college boys

Stalin launched Rs. 1,000 a month for boys from government schools who go on to higher education, modelled on Pudhumai Penn.

Dispute over NEP, three-language policy and school funds

Tamil Nadu refused to sign the PM SHRI agreement or adopt the three-language formula, and the Union withheld Samagra Shiksha funds.

Ulagam Ungal Kaiyil free laptops for college students

Stalin launched a scheme to distribute 20 lakh laptops to students of government colleges, with 10 lakh in the first phase.