Periyar University, Salem

Periyar University is a university situated in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, established by the Government of Tamil Nadu on 17 September 1997 under the Periyar University Act, 1997. It is named after social reformer Thanthai Periyar E. V. Ramasamy. The University Grants Commission granted it 2f status in 1998 and 12(B) status in 2005. It was accredited by NAAC with a B+ grade in 2007, upgraded to 'A' in May 2015, and further upgraded to 'A++' in December 2021, with a CGPA of 3.61 out of 4. The university caters to affiliated colleges across the districts of Salem, Dharmapuri, Namakkal, and Krishnagiri, with 106 affiliated colleges and a PG extension center at Dharmapuri. It has 27 teaching and research departments organized into eight schools, offering 79 academic programmes, and maintains five constituent colleges at Mettur, Edappadi, Pennagaram, Harur, and Pappireddipatti. The university is located on National Highway 7, about 7 km from Salem city, on a campus of approximately 110 acres. It has been ranked 4th by the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) and 56th among universities, 100th overall, by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2024.