The Top colleges in Chennai offer courses in streams of Engineering and Architecture, Management and Business Administration, Sciences, Art, humanities and social sciences and computer applications & IT, Medicine and allied sciences. Top Colleges in Chennai offers courses in online, full time and part-time mode. Some of the Top colleges in India like IITChennai, Anna University, S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai is located in Chennai. The admission to the top colleges in Chennai 2025 is based on entrance exams like JEE Main, TANCET, CAT, XAT, MAT, NEET and others. The colleges in Chennai are owned both by the government and private bodies. Candidates seeking admission need to meet eligibility criteria and cutoff requirements of the course. The fee structure for top colleges in Chennai 2025 varies from course to course.
The top colleges in Chennai are known for offering courses at different levels in several streams. The main highlights of top colleges in Chennai is mentioned below:
Particulars | Highlights |
|---|---|
Top Streams |
|
Top Entrance Exam |
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Number of Universities | More than 30 |
Top Universities | SRM University, Anna University |
Number of Government Colleges | More than 77 |
Number of Private Colleges | More than 408 |
National Institute of Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a ranking methodology adopted by MHRD to rank higher education institutes in India. The list of top colleges in Chennai based on their NIRF ranking for 2024 is mentioned in the table below:
College Name | Category | NIRF Rank |
|---|---|---|
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras | Overall/Engineering | 1 |
SIMATS Chennai | University | 11 |
S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology Chennai | University | 13 |
University | 20 | |
University of Madras | University | 38 |
Sathyabama University, Chennai | University | 53 |
The top colleges in Chennai include some of the top IITs, medical colleges, NITs, and Law colleges of India. The details of stream-wise top colleges in Chennai 2025 are mentioned below:
More than 26 government colleges and 163 provate colleges offers courses in the stream of engineering. The popular courses offered by top engineering colleges in Chennai includes Diploma, B.Tech, B.Sc, M.Tech, Ph.D and more with different specialisations.
College Name | Fee Range | NIRF Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|
IIT Madras | Rs 32,000 to Rs 10.89 Lakhs | 1 |
S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology Chennai | Rs 16,000 - Rs 1,35,00,000 | 14 |
Rs 4,000 to Rs 7,22,000 | 20 |
The top MBA colleges in Chennai offers courses with specialisations in Business Administration, General Management, HRM, IT and Sysytem Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management and others. Admission to top colleges in Chennai for MBA are offered based on scores of CAT/XAT/MAT/TANCET and other entrance exam.
College Name | Fee Range | NIRF Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|
IIT Madras | Rs 32,000 to Rs 10.89 Lakhs | 13 |
Rs 12,97,000 to Rs 22,50,000 | 37 | |
Rs 15,000 to Rs 7,31,000 | 55 | |
S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology | Rs 60,000 to Rs 11,50,000 | 56 |
SIMAT Chennai | Rs 7,00,000 | 63 |
The top colleges in Chennai for Arts and Science includes more than 14 government and 18 private colleges. Some of the popular courses offered by top colleges in Chennai for Arts and Science include B.A, B.Sc, M.A, M.Sc, BBA, BCA and many more.
College Name | Fee Range | NIRF Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|
PSGR Krishnammal College for Women | Rs 2,320 to Rs 3,880 | 9 |
Rs 13,320 to Rs 5,08,000 | 14 | |
- | 15 | |
- | 16 |
The top MBBS colleges in Chennai offers admission to candidates based on scores of NEET entrance exams. The MBBS course is offered by around 21 government and 101 private colleges in Chennai. The list of top MBBS colleges is mentioned below:
College Name | Fee Range | NIRF Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|
SIMATS Chennai | Rs 1,00,000 - Rs 1,20,00,000 | 11 |
Rs 87,230 to Rs 1,41,000 | 16 | |
S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology Chennai | Rs 16,000 - Rs 1,35,00,000 | 18 |
Admission to top colleges is based on the score obtained in the entrance examination by the candidate. Some of the popular entrance exams accepted by Best Colleges in Tamil Nadu are JEE Advanced/JEE Mains/NEET/TANCET/ GATE/SRMJEE/XAT and many more. The details of some of the popular entrance examinations is mentioned in the table below:
Entrance Exam | Details |
|---|---|
Joint Entrance Exam Advanced is an online exam conducted once a year in online mode. | |
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is conducted by NTA once a year in offline mode. | |
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering(GATE) is a national level exam conducted by Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur once a year in online mode. | |
JEE Main | Joint Entrance Examination (Main) is conducted by NTA twice a year in online mode |
Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test or TANCET is conducted by Anna University in offline mode once a year. | |
SRMJEE is a university level exam conducted by SRM University conducted three times a year. | |
CEETA PG is a state level exam conducted by Anna University once a year. | |
Graduate Management Admission Test is an international level exam conducted in online mode. |
The course fee of the top government colleges in Chennai ranges from Rs 1,310 to Rs 46.15 lakhs, depending upon the type and level of the course. Top government colleges in Chennai also provide various kinds of scholarship schemes and freeships to its students.
College Name | Fee Range |
|---|---|
Rs 32,000 to Rs 10.89 Lakhs | |
Anna University | Rs 4,000 to Rs 46.15 Lakhs |
Madras University Chennai | Rs 1,130 to Rs 19.03 Lakhs |
Rs 39,000 to Rs 14.07Lakhs | |
Rs 87,230 to Rs 1.41 Lakhs |
The top private colleges in Chennai offer courses with different fee structures. The fee structures of top private colleges in Chennai may change from year to another based on the guidelines of the college or university. The fee structure of best private colleges in Chennai is mentioned below:
College Name | Fee Range |
|---|---|
SIMATS Chennai | Rs 65,000 to Rs 1.20 Crore |
Sathyabama University Chennai | Rs 18,000 to Rs 23 Lakhs |
Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.35 crore | |
Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education And Research | Rs 27,000 to Rs 1.62 Crore |
Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.14 Crore |
The top colleges in Chennai offer courses in different branches of study. The list of top courses offered by the best colleges in Chennai is mentioned below:
College Name | Courses offered |
|---|---|
IIT Madras | B.Tech, B.Tech M.Tech, MBA, M.Tech, Executive MBA |
Anna University, Chennai | B.E/B.Tech,B.Arch, M.E/M.Tech, MBA, MCA |
B.E/B.Tech, B.Sc, M.E/M.Tech, M.D.S, MBA | |
Madras University, Chennai |
The table below shows the placement details of the top 5 colleges in Chennai, including the median salary for undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the academic year 2023-24 as per the NIRF Report 2025.
College Name | Median Salary 2024 - UG | Median Salary 2024 - PG |
|---|---|---|
Rs 17.5 LPA | Rs 12.9 LPA | |
Rs 8 LPA | Rs 6 LPA | |
Rs 4.3 LPA | Rs 6.45 LPA | |
Rajalakshmi Engineering College Placements | Rs 5.3 LPA | Rs 5.3 LPA |
Rs 1.60 Lakhs | Rs 2.04 Lakhs |
Admission to the top colleges in Chennai is based on the cutoff score of the entrance exam. The best colleges in Chennai released the cutoff for the courses every year for candidates belonging to different categories. The cutoff details of top colleges in Chennai are mentioned below:
Note: The colleges in Chennai also receive financial support from the government. The top colleges in Chennai provide financial support to its students based on their financial need and academic performance.
Ques: What is the top college in Chennai?
Ans: IIT Chennai is the top college in Chennai based on NIRF ranking 2024. The institute has been ranked 1 in the overall category as per NIRF ranking 2024. IIT Chennai has also been ranked 1 in Engineering and 16 in Management as per NIRF ranking 2024.
Ques: Which college has the highest placement in Chennai?
Ans: The top colleges in Chennai provide numerous career opportunities to their students. The highest package offered to IIT Chennai in 2024 was Rs 84 LPA. The highest package offered at GLIM Chennai is Rs 53.2 LPA in 2025.
Ques: What is the cutoff for CIT Chennai?
Ans: The CIT Chennai TNEA cutoff for B.Tech CSE was 3537 for general category in 2024. The CIT Chennai cutoff TNEA 2024 for B.Tech IT was 6622.
Ques: Which private college has the best placement in Chennai?
Ans: The top private college in Chennai with best placements are SRM University Chennai, Sathyabama University, Great Lakes Chennai, CIT Chennai
Ques: Which is a good TNEA cutoff for top colleges in Chennai?
Ans: The TNEA cutoff differs from college to college for admissions to top colleges in Chennai. The TNEA cutoff 2024 for CIT Chennai ranges from 105 to 18646. The TNEA cutoff 2024 for Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai ranges from 853 to 46008.
Ques: What are the top 10 colleges for engineering in Chennai?
Ans: The top 10 colleges for engineering in Chennai based on NIRF ranking 2024 are mentioned below:
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology
Anna University
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology
Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R & D Institute of Science and Technology
Chennai Institute of Technology
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS)
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Kancheepuram
Rajalakshmi Engineering College
Ques: Which are top medical colleges in Chennai?
Ans: Some of the top colleges in Chennai are Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital, Chennai, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology and Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai.
Ques: What is the cut-off rank for Madras Medical College, Chennai?
Ans: The NEET cutoff rank for Madras Medical College, Chennai in round 1 ranges from 1023 to 100 for general category candidates under All India quota in 2024.
Ques: What was SRM University Chennai cutoff in 2024?
Ans: The SRM University Chennai cutoff in 2024 varies from course to course. The SRM University Chennai cutoff for CSE ranges from 9500 to 10500 based on SRMJEE scores in 2024. The SRM University Chennai cutoff 2024 for ECE was 26700 to 27200.
Ques: What is the process of admission for B.Tech courses in the top colleges in Chennai?
Ans: The top colleges in Chennai provide admission to B.Tech based on the eligibility criteria and score of entrance examinations like JEE Mains/SRMJEE/VITUEE/JEE Advanced/HITSEEE and others. Some of the top colleges in Chennai provide admission to B.Tech courses based on the merit of class 12th or equivalent examination, followed by TNEA counselling.
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