Central University of Kerala

Overview

The Central University of Kerala (CUK) was established in 2009, and is located primarily in Kasaragod. It is primarily a postgraduate and research focused University with its academic activities organized into 12 Schools and 30 Departments. Its Law and International Relations programs are offered away from the 310 Acre Kasaragod campus: in Thiruvalla and Trivandrum, respectively.

The Central Placement Cell (CPC) and the Department Placement Cells work together to train students for internships and interviews through soft skills programs throughout the year. It uses data analytics to increase the employability of students before the final placement season. The CPC facilitates long term employer relationships through MoUs.

The campus of CU Kerala is unique in many ways. Accessibility is a major focus area, with academic spaces being friendly to differently abled students. It also has multiple green spaces, including a Biodiversity Park, a Botanical Garden, and the CUK Park. In addition to many sports courts and grounds, there are also preparations for an integrated Sports Center. The campus is holistic, with Recreation Spaces for both students and Faculty members. The foundation for waste management systems has also been started. The Student Council of the University is very active, with two elected representatives from each Department. Its clubs organize informal cultural activities throughout the year, and the Council manages the Cankama cultural event every year. The Aravalli Centre for Health and Medical Services provides medicines and emergency care to ensure physical and mental wellness of all CU Kerala students.

Central University of Kerala Highlights

Central University of Kerala Fees

The academic fees for students of the Central University of Kerala have multiple components e.g. tuition fees, examination charges, registration fees, and caution deposits. The fee structure for most PG courses (MA, MSW, MEd, MSc in Mathematics) is as follows:

• Semester Fees:
  • Tuition Fee: INR 1,180 per semester.
  • Course Registration Fee: INR 210 per semester.
  • Library Fee: INR 500 per semester.
• Annual Fees: 
  • Magazine Fund: INR 190.
  • Medical Examination Fee: INR 480.
  • Students’ Welfare Fund Contribution: INR 480.
  • Sports and Games Fee: INR 1,610.
  • Internet and ICT Fee: INR 670.
  • University Student Council Fee: INR 670.
  • Cultural Activities Fee: INR 670.
  • Campus Amenities Fee: INR 1,070.
  • Training & Placement Fee: INR 670.
  • Students’ Aid Fee: INR 260.
• One Time Fees (payable at the time of admission):
  • Registration Fee: INR 400.
  • Identity Card Fee: INR 110.
  • University Development Fund: INR 980.
  • Department Development Fund: INR 980.
  • Library Security Deposit: INR 1,980. This will be refunded when the student graduates provided that a No Objection Certificate is obtained from the library.
  • Graduation Fee: INR 210.
  • Alumni Association Fee: INR 210.
  • Migration Fee: INR 530.
  • Academic Handbook Fee: INR 260.
  • Extracurricular and Life Skill Training Fee (Prerana): INR 300.

Several Master’s students of CU Kerala must pay Industrial Visit fees ranging from INR 2,200 annually (e.g. MSc Geology) to INR 7,360 annually (e.g. MPH Community Medicine) to INR 8,000 once during the course (e.g. MSc Computer Science). Students must also budget for living costs (hostel, paying guest, or apartment, and food charges), in addition to costs of academic materials (e.g. laptops, textbooks), and shopping for personal items. Students who choose to live at home or as paying guests and commute to the campus have to bear the daily transportation charges.

Central University of Kerala Admissions

The eligibility criteria for admission to the Central University of Kerala, are as follows:

• PG programs:
  • The student must be a graduate from a recognized University anywhere in India or abroad, with a minimum UG aggregate of 50% for most courses. Some programs (e.g. MSc Botany) require a UG aggregate of 55% or above. Students from reserved categories have a relaxation of 5% in the required qualifying examination aggregate.
  • The applicant must be younger than 25 years as of July in the year of application.
  • Most programs have a subject requirement. For example, applicants to the MSc Geology degree program must have Geology as a subject in all years of their UG studies.
• UG programs:
  • Applicants to UG courses must have passed both the Standard X and XII Board Examination levels. Students in the final year of their 10+2 studies may apply, provided they submit the final transcripts before joining CU Kerala.
  • The minimum accepted percentage is 50% at the 10+2 level. This is relaxed to 45% for ST and SC applicants.
  • The applicant must be younger than 20 years as of July in the year of application.

Students who wish to apply to the Central University of Kerala must follow these steps:

• Checking the CU Kerala website for the annual Admission Notification.
• Visiting the CU Kerala website and navigating to the “Online PG Registration” page.
• Creating an Applicant Account and validating it with contact details.
• Submitting academic and other personal details. Any error can lead to a cancellation of the whole application.
• Uploading scans of all required documents, including identity proofs, CUET PG or UG scores, academic transcripts, and degree certificates.
• After the application window closes, the University prepares shortlists for each course, and publishes the ranking list on its website.
• Two rounds of counseling are organized, and seats left vacant in each phase are filled in the next round.
• If there are seats left after both rounds, spot admission is organized on the date of academic registration.
• Students who wish to accept the offer of admission from either round of counseling must complete the academic registration process and pay the first semester’s fees before starting to attend classes at CU Kerala.

Central University of Kerala Placements

As one of the top Universities in India, the placement highlights of the Central University of Kerala are as follows: 

• The Director of the Central Placement Cell (CPC) of CU Kerala is responsible for Career Counseling, Training, and Corporate Relations.
• The CPC Director works closely with the Department Placement Cells (DPCs) to ensure that companies from all domains are invited to hire students for internships and full time jobs.
• The main functions of the CPC and DPCs are:
  • Career Counseling: Linking students to their ideal career paths through personalized sessions.
  • Soft Skills Training: Ensuring that students make a good first impression.
  • Aptitude Test Training: Sharing MCQs and tasks from previous years to predict future company selection rounds.
  • GD and PI Training: Communication Skills tests for Group Discussions and Personal Interviews.
  • Conducting programs to improve the overall employability of students through functional and technical knowledge.
  • Signing MoUs with potential employers.
  • Working closely with Faculty members to orient the academic curriculum towards industry expectations.
  • Providing logistics support for annual campus internship and placement drives.
• The average placement salaries over the past three years offered to students of different program types are:
  • PG 2 year programs: INR 3.26 LPA (down slightly from INR 3.48 LPA and INR 4.78 LPA.
  • UG 3 year programs: N/A (the first batches are yet to graduate in some newly established programs).

Central University of Kerala Cut-Offs

The only cut-offs related to admission to the UG and PG programs offered by the Central University of Kerala are based on the academic performance in the qualifying examinations. Therefore, most applicants to UG and PG programs must have a minimum aggregate of 50% across all their undergraduate semesters (or Standard XII Board Examination). Some programs e.g. MSc Botany have a cut-off of 55% in the qualifying examination. All courses have a relaxation of 5% for candidates from reserved categories.

Central University of Kerala Faculty & Alumni

The Central University of Kerala is home to 173 full time Faculty members. Of these, 97 (56%) are Assistant Professors, 33 (19%) are Associate Professors, and the remaining 43 (25%) are full Professors. Most Faculty members (159 out of 173, or 92%) hold PhD degrees. 167 Faculty members are regular employees of CU Kerala, and the remaining 13% are on contract. The average number of years of experience exceeds 10, with the most seasoned Professor having 37+ years in industry and academia.

The Alumni Portal of CU Kerala provides an online resource to connect ex-students of the University with each other. It provides information to alumni about recent events on campus, and organizes physical and virtual Alumni Meets. It also assists financially needy students with donation drives via alumni, and recognizes successful alumni through awards and felicitation ceremonies. The Alumni Association provides a platform for professional networking among alumni working in related fields even if they are from different batches. Finally, it offers opportunities for mentorship of current students by motivated and distinguished alumni. The two main schemes that allow alumni to give back are the “My Imprint’ and “Class Gift” initiatives, which together fund physical and financial aid donations.

Central University of Kerala Scholarships

As in other top Universities in India, there are multiple financial aid options available to students of the Central University of Kerala. As of 2024, 725 out of 1,649 students (44%) receive full tuition fee waivers from the Central and State Governments, 1 student receives a full scholarship via University funds, and 3 receive full tuition fee scholarships from private bodies and Trusts. The most prominent scholarships are:

1. Central Government Scholarships available via the National Scholarship Portal: This offers six kinds of financial aid to eligible students, including the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities, students with disabilities, and SC ST students. The other three financial aid schemes under this category are the PG Indira Gandhi Scholarship for single girl children, and the PG scholarship scheme for University rank holders, where the top 2 students according to academic merit in any nationally recognized University will be offered a full scholarship to study in CU Kerala. The NSP portal offers a centralized mode of application and eligibility checks for all scholarships.

2. Scholarships for Fishermen’s Children: These E-Grants are offered by the Kerala Government to wards of one of the state’s biggest industries. The educational assistance is processed online, and entails a full tuition fee waiver and a living stipend.

3. Kerala Directorate of College Education Scholarships: This portal provides access to five prominent State Government scholarships, including the CH Mohammed Koya scholarship for minority girl children with a family income below INR 4.5 LPA (award amount: INR 6,000 per year, hostel stipend amount: INR 13,000 per year), The Hindi Scholarship for students pursuing Master’s degrees in the language (INR 1,000 per month), the State Merit Scholarship (INR 1,500 per month), the Suvarna Jubilee Merit Scholarship (INR 10,000 per month for students from families Below the Poverty Line), and various scholarships for differently abled children (either 100% fee waivers if the family income is below INR 2.5 LPA, or hostel stipend waivers for income between INR 2.5 LPA and INR 4.5 LPA). A student can only avail of one scholarship under the DCE umbrella.

4. The Vidya Samunnathi Scholarships: The Kerala State Welfare Corporation assists economically weak students from forward communities. If the family income does not exceed INR 2 LPA, the award amount is INR 10,000 per year.

5. Other State Government Scholarships: Students from socially disadvantaged communities who do not qualify for other scholarship schemes listed above may apply to financial aid plans floated by their home states to aid their study in CU Kerala.

Central University of Kerala Preparation & FAQs

Admissions to the PG programs offered by CU Kerala are based on the CUET ranking list. Therefore, preparing for the CUET PG examination is the main differentiating factor. Students should go through the syllabus carefully, and purchase study materials to cover the topics which require revision. They should attempt mock tests before the examination date to improve their speed and accuracy, and examine the cut-offs for their subjects over the previous three years, to aim for a target score whenever they go through a sample paper.

Central University of Kerala Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Which is the top University in India?

The Central University of Kerala is one of the best Universities in India. It is ranked #25 among the best Central Universities in India, according to the IIRF 2024 ranking list.

Q. What are the application fees to The Central University of Kerala?

The application fees to the Central University of Kerala vary according to the level of the program to which the student is applying (undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD). The fee is INR 400 for General Category applicants, and INR 210 for SC and ST candidates.

Q. How does the Central University of Kerala help students who are interested in entrepreneurship?

CU Kerala has an active IPR Cell which assists students who wish to apply for patents, and provides them knowledge and assistance to monetize their innovative technical and business ideas. It also bears the full cost of Patent Registration in exchange for a share in the profits.

Q. What are the PhD fees for doctoral students at the Central University of Kerala?

The PhD fees for CU Kerala vary from semester to semester. The first semester has total fees of INR 31,550, subsequent even semesters have fees of INR 6,330 each, and the other odd semesters have total fees of INR 12,430 each. There are also multiple one time fees, including thesis evaluation charges of INR 9,080.

Q. Does the Central University of Kerala provide Diploma and Certificate Courses?

CU Kerala provides a UG Certificate Course in Life Skills and a PG Diploma in Life Skills Education, with total fees of INR 6,600.