The most important question that comes to the mind of any student who wants to pursue higher studies in India is whether they should study in a private university, Central university, state university or a deemed university. These are the different types of the universities that are popular in our country. In this article we will try to understand each of these universities in details so that the students and the parents can take a better and a more informed decision.

As per the list prepared by UGC in February 2017, we have about 789 universities in the country. There are 11,443 standalone institutions in India and 37,204 colleges. The universities in India can be classified into four major categories and they are:

1. Central university
2. State university
3. Deemed university
4. Private university

The oldest universities in the country are:

1. Serampore college that was started in 1818
2. Indian institute of technology in Roorkee was established in 1847
3. University of Mumbai in 1857
4. University of Madras was established in 1857
5. University of Calcutta was started in 1857

As per a list that was prepared this year the top ten universities in the country are:

1. Indian institute of technology in Mumbai
2. Indian institute of science in Bangalore
3. Indian institute of technology in Delhi
4. Indian institute of technology in Madras
5. Indian institute of technology in Kanpur
6. Indian institute of technology in Kharagpur
7. Delhi university
8. Indian institute of technology in Roorkee
9. Indian institute of technology in Guwahati
10. The Calcutta university

Each of these universities have their own advantages and disadvantages that we are now going to discuss in details.

1. Central university – It is also known as the union university. It was started by an act of parliament and is constantly under supervision of department of higher education. There are 46 central universities in the country as listed by UGC. Some of these universities are Nalanda University, Rajiv Gandhi University, Indira Gandhi University, University of Delhi and the list is a long one.

2. State university – As the name clearly suggests these universities are under the control of the state government and follow the directives that are given by the state government. As per the list UGC published there are 358 universities under this. In 1857 three states came up with universities of their own and they were the Calcutta university, Mumbai university and Madras university. These three are also few of the oldest universities in the country. The colleges under these universities offer both under graduate and post graduate courses.

3. Deemed university – These universities are the ones that were given autonomous status by the department of higher education. These were created under the guidance and approval of UGC. As per a list that was published in 2017 there are 122 deemed universities in the country and that includes International institute of information technology in Karnataka. Gujarat Vidyapith, Indira Gandhi institute of development and research in Maharashtra. The list is a long one and many renowned universities come under this category.

4. Private university – The private universities are approved by the UGC. These colleges can give degrees but they cannot have off campus affiliated colleges. There are 258 private universities in the country today. Private universities are not allowed in Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala.

We will try to understand why private universities were established and what are the pros and cons. The pros are:

1. Most of the universities in the country are aided by the government the private ones on the other hand are not. As a result it reduces the financial burden of the goverments that they incur to provide education in the country.

2. The government might not be able to provide the infrastructure and a very high quality education that is why private universities reduce this burden on the government.

3. The private universities lead to more job opportunities. As the courses are designed in a more professional manner.

4. There are only three institutes in India that appear in the list of the top 200 colleges in the world. We hope that with the private universities coming in this will change and we will have better institutes in the country who will provide quality education and be listed as the top institutes in the country.

5. As private universities have been increasing in the country soon we will have more competition in the field of education as a result the quality of education will improve.

6. The private universities have students coming from all over the world so that students get a better exposure.

7. The private universities are known for the offbeat courses and thus anyone looking for an offbeat course must take admission in a private university.

8. The facilities provided in a private university are much better as a result the students get better food and world class accommodation.

The cons of these universities are as follows:

1. As the control on the private universities is much lesser it is difficult to assure that the education quality here will be good.
2. In private universities it is possible for the people with money and power to get in as a result the quality of students may suffer and the education quality too.
3. The government universities are always suffering from lack of fund as a result they should try to improve the quality of education and not encourage private hands in the administration.
4. The private universities are goal oriented as results they offer courses that are suited for the job market. These colleges dis continue any course that not many students are interested in. Which is not right? Quality education is more important than finding a job.
5. The private colleges have no preference for students who are from the economically and socially backward classes. Students get admission only on the basis of their merit and sometimes the money that they have.

The points to check before one enrol into a private university:

1. Please check if the university is affiliated, recognised or an autonomous university. This will help you to take a better decision about which one to enrol into.
2. Some private universities do not provide quality education as they do not have an authority to take care of their operation. A good method would be to talk to the previous students and see the past record of the university well. The visiting faculty is very important. Point to be noted is that not all private universities do not spend a lot on the teachers.
3. The fees of the private universities are very high and that is why you must think well before joining them if you can afford it. The possibility of a private university to do fee cut and all is much lesser.

Education is an important aspect in the life of every person. As a parent we must ensure that we send our children to the right university. A small wrong step can have very bad impact on the future of the child. We hope that this article will help you to choose the right university.

All the universities have their own advantages and disadvantages. What is important is that you do a good research before you decide on which college to study. It is quite possible that a private university is in a money making mode and it is also possible that a government college actually does not have a very good reputation. A well thought decision is a must before choosing the right university.