ARUL ANANDAR COLLEGE

Arul Anandar College (AAC) is an autonomous arts and sciences college situated at Karumathur, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University and administered by the Jesuits. It was founded in 1970 as De La Salle College by the late Most Rev. Dr. Justin Diraviam, Catholic Archbishop in Madurai, offering a pre-degree course and undergraduate courses in economics and philosophy. In 1972 it was renamed Arul Anandar College and became a Jesuit institution. The college received autonomous status in 1987 and a NAAC 5 Star Rating in 2001, later earning an 'A' grade from NAAC in 2014. Mother Teresa visited the campus in 1975, and the Alumni Association was inaugurated in 1987. Doctoral programmes in rural development science and economics began in 2001, and Britto Publishing House was established in 2009. The college later added an indoor stadium and gymnasium, a bio-gas plant, model poultry and piggery farms, and a student gym. AAC aims to serve weaker sections of society, particularly MBC and Scheduled Caste students, and began admitting women at the undergraduate level in 2001, establishing a women's hostel in 2005. It offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research degrees in arts, sciences, business, and computer studies.