Alagappa University has emerged from the galaxy of institutions initially founded during 1950`s by the Padma Bhushan Dr. RM. Alagappa Chettiar (06.04.1909 - 05.04.1957). Alagappa University is a State Government University established by an Act of the Tamil Nadu State Legislature in 1985 as Unitary type; later became Affiliating type during 2002. The University is situated at Karaikudi, in the District of Sivaganga, in the State of Tamil Nadu.

Alagappa University’s campus sprawls across 435.98 Acres of lush land, (428.15 acres in Main Campus and and 7.83 acres in Thondi Campus) creating a highly secure, eco conscious and student friendly learning ambience.

Neighbouring cities : Madurai (80 km), Tiruchirappalli (100 km), Dindigul (100 km), Rameswaram (145 km).

Nearby Airports : Madurai (IMX) and Tiruchirappalli (TRZ).

Alagappa University was brought into existence by a Special Act of the Government of Tamil Nadu in May 1985 with the objective of fostering research, development and dissemination of knowledge in various branches of learning. Alagappa University is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India. The University has 44 Departments, 3 Academic Centres and 2 Constituent Colleges (AUCE, AUCPE) on its campus. 45 Colleges located in the districts of Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram are Affiliated to the University. The University is offering UG & PG programmes in the four Faculties (Arts, Science, Education, Management).

The University offers education through Regular, Distance, Online and Collaborative modes. Through all modes of education, the University caters to the needs of the student community of around 1.12 lakhs.

As a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), as well as the member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), it has rewarding relations with other academic institutions, research laboratories and industrial establishments that promise a spectacular future.

The University is having International Collaborations with Universities / Institutions of Higher Learning in countries like U.S.A, UK, Australia, Singapore, China, Malaysia and South Korea.

The University's motto is "Excellence in Action" and the University keeps before it the vision of excellence in all spheres of its action.

As on September 2024, The University has

Publications : 11,507
Citations : 1,34,206
"h" index - 120 (Scopus); 107 (WoS); 150 (Google Scholar)

Alagappa University has achieved many milestones. A few of them are as under;

• 1985 : Establishement of Alagappa University as Unitary type.
• 1992 : Establishement of Directorate of Distance Education (DDE).
• 2002 : Converted as Affiliating University.
• 2005 : Secured "A" Grade by NAAC Accreditation (1st Cycle).
• 2011 : Secured "A" Grade by NAAC Accreditation (2nd Cycle).
• 2017 : Secured "A+" Grade by NAAC Accreditation (3rd Cycle) with a CGPA of 3.64.
• 2018 : Obtained Category–I status by the MHRD-UGC.
• 2018 : Establishement of Directorate of Online Programmes.
• 2018 : Secured 4th position in Swachhta Ranking for the cleanest HEI in the Country in the category of Government Institutions.
• 2018 : Secured MHRD - RUSA 2.0 Scheme with a grant of Rs.100 crores for Quality enhancement.

Ranking of Alagappa University;

• 2023 : National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) : Secured 30th position.
• 2023 : Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) : Secured 251th position in QS Asia Ranking.
• 2023 : Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings : Secured 401-500 band position.