India has 1,438 universities. Here's who runs them.

The count, by type

If you need one number: India has 1,438 university-level institutions, or 1,273 if you count only the four categories UGC calls universities (central, state public, state private and deemed).

Private universities are now the largest group: 546 state private universities against 511 state public ones. Of the 155 deemed universities, 101 are privately run, 43 are government and 11 are government-aided.

State private universities546

Set up by a state law, privately run

State public universities511

Set up and funded by a state government

Institutes of National Importance159

IITs, NITs, IIMs, AIIMS and others

Deemed universities155

Given university status by the central government

Central universities61

Set up by an Act of Parliament

Other6

Institutes under a state legislature act

Institutes of National Importance are set up by Acts of Parliament and award their own degrees. AISHE lists them alongside universities; UGC's university list does not. That one difference explains most of the gap between the numbers you will find quoted.

Why sources give different numbers

Each figure is correct for its own date and its own definition. New universities open every year, and private universities have grown fastest.

UGC 2023 against AISHE 2026, by type

UGC's newest published consolidated list is dated 25 January 2023. The two lists group a few institutions differently, so read the change by type as approximate.

Which states have the most

Uttar Pradesh has the most university-level institutions, 126. Gujarat has the most state private universities (67), Tamil Nadu the most deemed universities (33) and Delhi the most central universities (8).

The districts with the most universities

Jaipur (Rajasthan) has 37, more than 16 entire states and union territories.

Every state and union territory

Lakshadweep and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu have no universities in the directory. Totals include 6 institutes under a state legislature act, not shown as a column.

Sources and method

The counts are aggregated from the Ministry of Education's AISHE institution directory (survey year 2026, retrieved 11 October 2026): every institution AISHE lists as a university, grouped by its AISHE type. Open universities are counted with their parent category (central, state or state private), as UGC lists them.

UGC and PIB figures are quoted from the documents linked in section 2, with their own dates.

Looking for colleges rather than universities? India's colleges, by state and district. After the degree: graduate unemployment in India, by year. Feel free to cite these figures with a link to this page.