University College, Thiruvananthapuram, often abbreviated as UCT, is a

public college A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

situated in

Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram Palayam or Cantonment, as it is locally known, one of the busiest localities in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala State in India. It is home to many of the administrative, cultural, and educational institutions in The name "Cantonmen ...

, India. Established in 1866, it is one of the oldest colleges in Kerala. The college has been accorded "College with Potential for Excellence" (CPE) status by the University Grants Commission. University College is identified as a heritage institution by the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

. Alumni of the college includes luminaries such as the former

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

K. R. Narayanan Kocheril Raman "K. R." Narayanan (27 October 1920 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the vice president of India from 1992 to 1997 and president of India from 1997 to 2002. Naray ...

, numerous Cabinet Secretaries, Ambassadors, Civil Servants, IT doyens, Teachers, Poets, Writers, Artists, Politicians and the like.

Academics

Faculties

Language faculties * Faculty of English * Faculty of Malayalam * Faculty of Hindi * Faculty of Arabic * Faculty of Sanskrit * Faculty of Tamil * Faculty of French Humanities faculties * Faculty of Economics * Faculty of History * Faculty of Political Science * Faculty of Islamic History * Faculty of Philosophy Science faculties * Faculty of Chemistry * Faculty of Biochemistry * Faculty of Mathematics * Faculty of Physics * Faculty of Geology * Faculty of Geography * Faculty of Botany * Faculty of Zoology * Faculty of Statistics * Faculty of Psychology Other faculties * Faculty of Physical Education

Rankings

It is ranked 22nd among colleges in India by the

National Institutional Ranking Framework National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a ranking methodology released annually by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The framework was approved by the former Ministr ...

(NIRF) in 2024.

Notable alumni

University College Thiruvananthapuram has produced luminaries that include a former president of India, two former chief ministers of Kerala, cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, civil servants, IT doyens, teachers, poets, writers, artists and politicians. * Abu Abraham, cartoonist * A. A. Rahim, Member Of Parliament Rajya Sabha *

Alencier Ley Lopez Alencier Ley Lopez is an Indian film and theatre actor, who appears in Malayalam films. Lopez made his debut in the 1998 film '' Daya''; and he worked in films like '' Annayum Rasoolum'' (2013), '' Njan Steve Lopez'' (2013), and '' Maheshinte P ...

, Malayalam Actor * Alexander Thomas, former judge of

Kerala High Court The High Court of Kerala is the List of high courts in India, highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the Hig ...

* Anna Chandy, first woman judge in India; first woman in India to become a high court judge *

A. R. Raja Raja Varma A. R. Raja Raja Varma (1863–1918) was an Indian poet, grammatician and Professor of Oriental Languages at Maharaja's College (present University College Thiruvananthapuram. Life A. R. Raja Raja Varma was part of the royal family of erstwhi ...

, poet, grammatician, professor * Ayyappa Paniker,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

* Balabhaskar, Malayalam music director and Violinist *

Balachandra Menon Balachandra Menon (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian actor, director and script writer. He made a number of films in the Malayalam films of the 1980s, 1980s and Malayalam films of the 1990s, 1990s. He has directed 40 films and has acted in o ...

, national award-winning Indian film actor, director, and script writer & lawyer *

Bharath Gopi Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by the stage name Bharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer, and director. Considered one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema, Gopy was one of ...

, Indian film actor, director, and producer *

Bheeman Raghu Reghu Damodharan known by his stage name Bheeman Reghu is an Indian actor and retired police officer. Before transitioning to a full-time career in cinema, he served as a sub-inspector in the Kerala Police. With a career spanning over four dec ...

, actor *

C. K. Chandrappan Cheerapanchira Kuntirishery Chandrappan (10 November 1935 – 22 March 2012) was a politician from Kerala, India. He was associated with Communist Party of India (CPI). He was a member of the Lok Sabha of India representing the Thalassery (Lok ...

Parliamentarian and former Kerala state secretary of CPI party * C. V. Raman Pillai,

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

* E. D. Jemmis, Bhatnagar award winner and former director of IISER-TVM *

Fathima Beevi M. Fathima Beevi (30 April 1927 – 23 November 2023) was an Indian judge who was a justice of the Supreme Court of India. Appointed to the apex Court in 1989, she became the first female judge to be a part of the Supreme Court of India, and th ...

first woman judge of Supreme Court of India * George Joseph * G. Madhavan Nair, former chairman of ISRO * G. R. Anil, Minister for Civil Supplies & Legal Metrology, Government of Kerala *

G. Venugopal Gopinathan Nair Venugopal (born 10 December 1960), popularly known as G. Venugopal, is an Indian playback singer known for his works in Malayalam films. He started his singing career in the film '' Odaruthammava Aalariyam'' (1984). Since then ...

, Malayalam playback singer, composer *

Jacob Punnoose Jacob Punnoose was the Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala and the State Police Chief. He retired on 31 August 2012 after serving more than 35 years in the Indian Police Service and in Kerala Police. He was succeeded by Sri K.S.Balasubram ...

, former Director General of Police, Kerala *

Jassie Gift Jassie Gift is an Indian cinematic music composer and playback singer. He composes songs and sings for Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He became famous after the release of the song "Lajjavathiye" from the film '' 4 The People''. ...

, Indian playback singer * J C Daniel, "father of Malayalam cinema" * J. Alexander (politician), Former Chief Secretary and Cabinet Minister,

Karnataka State Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Karamana Janardanan Nair Karamana Janardanan Nair (25 July 1936 – 24 April 2000) was a Malayalam film actor, who was active during the 1980s and 1990s. He was especially known for his character roles. He won wide acclaim especially for the role of the protagonis ...

, Malayalam actor * Kesari Balakrishna Pillai * K.M. Chandy - former Governor ( MP,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...

) * K. T. Chacko, former Directorate General of Foreign Trade * Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Former secretary of CPI(M) Kerala state, Former Minister of Home affairs State of Kerala *

, former president of India. *

Kris Gopalakrishnan Senapathy “Kris” Gopalakrishnan is an Indian businessman and the chairman of Axilor Ventures, a startup accelerator. He is one of the co-founders of Infosys, having served as its CEO and managing director from 2007 to 2011 and vice chairm ...

, CEO of Infosys * K. Shankar Pillai, cartoonist and Padma Bhushan recipient *

Madhu Madhu (Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''honey'' or ''sweet''. It is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/médʰu, ''*médʰu'', whenc ...

, film actor * Mahesh Narayan, Malayalam film director and editor *

Malayattoor Ramakrishnan K. V. Ramakrishna Iyer, better known by his pen name, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan (27 May 1927 – 27 December 1997), was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature, cartoonist, lawyer, Magistrate, judicial magistrate, and Indian Administrative Servi ...

, IAS officer, author, cartoonist *

Mary Poonen Lukose Mary Poonen Lukose (2 August 1886 - 2 October 1976) was an Indian gynecologist, obstetrician and the first female Surgeon General in India. She was the founder of a ''Tuberculosis Sanatorium'' in Nagarcoil and the ''X-Ray and Radium Institute' ...

, obstetrician, gynaecologist, first female surgeon general of India * M. Krishnan Nair, writer, literary critic, and orator * M. K. Sanu, professor, orator, critic, biographer * Mohan Sivanand, Former Editor-in-Chief, Reader's Digest India, painter * M. M. Jacob, Former Governor of Arunachal Pradhesh * M.S.Swaminathan, "father of

Green Revolution The Green Revolution, or the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period during which technology transfer initiatives resulted in a significant increase in crop yields. These changes in agriculture initially emerged in Developed country , devel ...

" in India * Nitya Chaitanya Yati, philosopher, psychologist, and poet * O. N. V Kurup, poet, lyricist, professor and Jnanpith award winner * Pattom A. Thanu Pillai, former chief minister of Kerala *

P. C. Alexander Padinjarethalakal Cherian Alexander (20 March 1921 – 10 August 2011) was an Indian Administrative Service officer of 1948 batch who served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1988 to 1990 and as the Governor of Maharashtra from 1993 to 2002. H ...

, civil servant, administrator * P. Gopinathan Nair, Gandhian and

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

recipient * P. K. Iyengar, Indian nuclear physicist *

P. Padmarajan Padmarajan Padmanabhan Pillai, better known as P. Padmarajan (23 May 1945 – 23 January 1991) was an Indian film maker, screenwriter and author who was known for his works in Malayalam literature and Malayalam cinema. He was the founder of a ...

, Indian author, screenwriter, and film director *

P. Parameswaran P. Parameswaran (3 October 1927 – 9 February 2020), often referred to as Parameswarji, was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ''pracharak'' from Kerala, India who was erstwhile Vice‑President of the Jan Sangh. He was president of Vivekanand ...

, Padma Vibhushan awardee, president of Vivekananda Kendra * Prasanth Reghuvamsom, Senior Journalist, Asianet News *

Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...

, national award-winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer *

Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma () (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Especially, he was notable f ...

, world-famous

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

* Raman Viswanathan, chest physician and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

awardee * R. Sankar, former chief minister of Kerala * Sabumon Abdusamad, Malayalam actor and television anchor * Sethunathasarma Krishnaswami, geochemist, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate * Shaji N. Karun, national award-winning Indian film director and cinematographer * S. Guptan Nair, Malayalam writer, critic, scholar, and orator * S. Suresh Babu, atmospheric scientist, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate *

Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai (5 April 1901 – 31 August 1950) was an Indian mathematician specialising in number theory. His contribution to Waring's problem was described in 1950 by K. S. Chandrasekharan as "almost certainly his best ...

, mathematician *

Sudheer Karamana Sudheer Karamana (born 24 May 1971) is an Indian actor who appears mainly in Malayalam cinema. He is the son of actor Karamana Janardanan Nair. Personal life He is the eldest son to actor Karamana Janardanan Nair and Jaya, at Karamana, Thiruv ...

, Malayalam film actor and artist * Sugathakumari, poet and environmentalist *

Sukumaran E. P. P. Sukumaran Nair (10 June 1948 – 16 June 1997), known mononymously as Sukumaran, was an Indian actor and producer of Malayalam films. Sukumaran became a popular film star in Malayalam cinema during the 1970s. He was considered one o ...

, Malayalam film actor, producer * S. Venkitaramanan, former governor of Reserve Bank of India * Thanu Padmanabhan, Indian theoretical physicist * T. K. Rajeev Kumar, Malayalam director' * Krishnan Rajeshwar, Chemist, researcher and academic * Tony Mathew, Orator, Writer *

T. P. Sreenivasan Thettalil Parameswaran Pillai Sreenivasan (born 17 June 1944 in Kayamkulam, Travancore) is an Indian former diplomat and is the head of the Council for Higher Education of the State of Kerala and also an adjunct professor of eminence at Somaiy ...

, Indian diplomat, former IFS officer *

Venu Nagavally Venu Nagavally (16 April 1949 – 10 September 2010) was an Indian actor, screenwriter and director best known for his work in Malayalam film industry. He has directed 12 films. Son of writer, commentator, and broadcaster Nagavally R. S. Kuru ...

, Malayalam director, actor, screenwriter * V. Madhusoodanan Nair, professor, poet

Notable principals

* John Ross M.A. 1866–1884 * Robert Harvey M.A., L.L.D. 1884–1890 * H. N. Read M.A. 1890–1892 (acting) * Dr Alexander Crichton Mitchell D.Sc., F.R.S.E 1892–1909 * A.W. Bishop PhD 1909–1915 * L.C. Hodson M.A. 1912–1915 *

Kovil Thampuran M.A 1915–1916, 1918 * Dr. J. Stephenson, BSc, A.R.D.S.C. 1916–1927 * James Pryde, M.A., BSc 1927–1930

Controversy

On 3 May 2019, a first-year BSc

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

student

attempted suicide A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is ...

on campus, alleging harassment from SFI leaders for not taking part in their programmes and disruption of classes. On 12 July 2019, a final year

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

student was stabbed amid a dispute between two groups of students belonging to the SFI, following which two SFI leaders were arrested. Later in the day, answer sheets and the official seal of an

Assistant Professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

were recovered while clearing the SFI office on campus, raising questions on the credibility of examinations conducted by the university. The police also found fake seals and university answer sheets from the residence of a prime accused.

References

External links

University College Thiruvananthapuram, Official website

at

University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...