Kerala weighs easing endowment, land rules for private universities
Kerala government considers relaxing endowment fund and land requirements in new private university Bill to attract established educational groups.
The Kerala government is actively considering two significant relaxations in its draft legislation permitting private universities in the state. Sources indicate the proposed changes would ease the minimum endowment fund requirement of ₹25 crore and reduce the land area mandate for multi-campus universities, a move prompted by land scarcity in urban regions.
The earlier Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2025, which the Assembly approved on March 25, 2025, mandated that sponsoring bodies deposit ₹25 crore in the government treasury. It also required the headquarters or registered office of a multi-campus university to be located on at least 10 acres of land.
The contemplated relaxations align with amendments suggested by United Democratic Front legislators during the previous Left Front government's tenure. They had argued that long-established and credible corporate educational agencies with decades of experience should be subject to less stringent requirements on the endowment fund and land norms.
Higher Education Minister Roji M. John confirmed that drafting of the new Bill is underway. The government plans to table it in the next Assembly session as part of its 'Kerala Knowledge Valley' project, which aims to establish the state as a global higher education hub by bringing together top-tier foreign universities and premier Indian institutions.
The earlier Bill had been referred by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to the President of India in September 2025.