CHENNAI: The TVK government on Tuesday introduced the Tamil Nadu Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to ease the norms for setting up private universities in the state. The Bill, introduced by Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan in the Assembly, proposes to reduce the land and endowment fund required for setting up private universities.
Left parties and university teachers have opposed the Bill saying that it would lead to the rapid expansion of private universities and affect the affordability and accessibility of higher education.
The Bill proposes to reduce the minimum land requirement for setting up private universities from 100 acres to 12 acres within the Greater Chennai Corporation, 18 acres in other municipal corporations and municipal councils, and 25 acres in other areas.
It also seeks to cut the mandatory permanent endowment fund from Rs 50 crore to Rs 25 crore under the Tamil Nadu Private Universities Act, 2019. The reduced endowment requirement will also apply to existing private universities covered under the 2019 Act.
CPI, PMK oppose bill, term it bid to commercialise higher education
Shiv Nadar University and Sai University, which were established under separate Acts in 2018, will also be covered under the proposed Bill. The government said the changes were based on the recommendations of the Centre’s Task Force on Compliance Reduction and Deregulation Phase II. It said the revised land norms take into account the space needed for academic buildings, hostels and other facilities, while also addressing the scarcity of land in urban areas.
While, the CPI and PMK opposed the Bill terming it an attempt to commercialise higher education, the Association of University Teachers (AUT) urged the government to withdraw it. In a statement, AUT general secretary K Raja said reducing land and financial requirements could lead to the rapid expansion of private universities.
He warned that the move could affect the affordability and accessibility of higher education, especially for rural students, first-generation learners and those from economically weaker sections. “We urge the government to reconsider the relaxations and hold consultations with teachers, students, parents and educationists before proceeding with the amendments,” Raja said.
Notably, under the previous DMK government, a Bill with similar relaxations was proposed in October 2025 but was later rolled back in February this year after it invited criticism from academics and teachers’ organisations. Academicians cited that the DMK’s Bill had a component of “Brownfield Universities” which allowed existing private and government-aided colleges to convert into a new university.
“Under the Brownfield category, government-aided colleges could have been converted into universities, putting thousands of teachers’ jobs and affordable higher education for poor students at risk. So, we opposed it tooth and nail,” said a faculty member of a government-aided college.
Resolution against open-column method
TN Assembly has passed a resolution urging centre to collect OBCs’ details during the 2027 Census only on the basis of the official lists of state & union govts, instead of ‘open-column method’