| S.No | Universities | District | Specialization | Estd. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Madras | Chennai | Humanities, Sciences | 1857 |
| 2 | Annamalai University | Cuddalore | Humanities, Sciences, Engineering, Agri | 1929 |
| 3 | Madurai Kamaraj University | Madurai | Humanities, Sciences | 1965 |
| 4 | Tamil Nadu Agricultural University | Coimbatore | Agriculture | 1971 |
| 5 | Anna University | Chennai | Engineering & management studies | 1978 |
| 6 | Tamil University | Thanjavur | Humanities, Sciences | 1981 |
| 7 | Bharathiar University | Coimbatore | Humanities, Sciences | 1982 |
| 8 | Bharathidasan University | Thiruchirappalli | Humanities, Sciences | 1982 |
| 9 | Mother Teresa Women's University | Dindigul | Humanities, Sciences | 1984 |
| 10 | Alagappa University | Sivagangai | Humanities, Sciences | 1985 |
| 11 | Manonmaniam Sundaranar University | Tirunelveli | Humanities, Sciences | 1992 |
| 12 | Periyar University | Salem | Humanities, Sciences | 1997 |
| 13 | Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University | Chennai | Law | 1998 |
| 14 | Thiruvalluvar University | Vellore | Humanities, Sciences | 2003 |
| 15 | Tamil Nadu Open University | Chennai | 2004 |
