Govt. Brennen College, Dharmadam,Thalassery,Kannur

Brennen College is an educational institution located in Dharmadam, Thalassery, in Kerala, India, affiliated to Kannur University. It developed out of a free school established in 1862 by Edward Brennen, an English philanthropist and master attendant of Tellicherry Port. The institution was elevated to a II Grade College with F.A. Classes in 1890 under the University of Madras, became a first-grade college in 1947, and moved to a new building in Dharmadam in 1958. In 2016, the University Grants Commission granted it special heritage status, recognizing it as more than 125 years old. In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, the college was ranked in the 101–150 band among colleges in India. The campus sits on a hillock in Dharmadam Panchayath, 5 km north of Thalassery town, spanning 34.5 acres and housing academic departments, administrative offices, a central library, student hostels, staff quarters, and a playground. The Brennen Library holds about 21,600 books, including rare 19th-century Malayalam publications, and prepared the first electronic catalogue in an Indian language with local-script search in 2004. The college offers 21 departments across Arts, Science, and Commerce. Notable alumni include politicians, writers, and public figures such as A. K. Gopalan and Pinarayi Vijayan.