Best Arts colleges in Chennai 2026
131 Arts colleges in Chennai charge between ₹984 and ₹1.15 Cr in the first year, and SRM Institute of Science and Technology - [SRMIST] is the highest rated of them. Every figure below is the college's own published number.
Arts colleges in Chennai — at a glance
| Arts colleges | 131 |
|---|---|
| Fee range (first year) | ₹984 – ₹1.15 Cr |
| Government / Private | 25 / 106 |
| NIRF-ranked | 37 of 131 |
| Highest package reported | ₹4.7 Cr |
| Top rated | SRM Institute of Science and Technology - [SRMIST] |
Which arts college in Chennai is best?
It depends what you are optimising for. Each pick below is the best in this list on that one measure.
Top 8 Arts colleges in Chennai compared
Rating, ranking, fees and placement side by side.
| College | Rating | NIRF | Fees from | Highest package | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRM University Chennai Chennai | 10 | — | ₹19.1 L | — | Government |
| SIMATS Chennai Chennai | 10 | #2 | ₹1.13 Cr | — | Government |
| Stella Maris College Chennai Chennai | 9.9 | #41 | ₹1.94 L | — | Government |
| WCC Chennai | 9.9 | — | ₹3.38 L | — | Government |
| CEG Guindy Chennai | 9.9 | #9 | ₹4.6 L | — | Government |
| Ethiraj College for Women Chennai Chennai | 9.9 | #64 | ₹2.81 L | ₹10 L | Government |
| IIITDM Kancheepuram Chennai | 9.8 | #151 | ₹9.56 L | ₹32 L | Government |
| Guru Nanak College (Autonomous) Chennai | 9.7 | #89 | ₹2.55 L | — | Government |
A dash means that college has not published the figure. Nothing here is estimated.
Top 25 Arts colleges in Chennai
-
1
SRM Institute of Science and Technology - [SRMIST]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1985
10.0 Fees from ₹19.1 L 398 courses -
2
Saveetha Institute of Medical And Technical Sciences - [SIMATS]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 2005
10.0 Fees from ₹1.13 Cr NIRF #2 321 courses -
3
Stella Maris College
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1960
9.9 Fees from ₹1.94 L NIRF #41 53 courses -
4
Women's Christian College - [WCC]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1915
9.9 Fees from ₹3.38 L 50 courses -
5
College of Engineering, Anna University - [CEG]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1794
9.9 Fees from ₹4.6 L NIRF #9 66 courses -
6
Ethiraj College for Women
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1948
9.9 Fees from ₹2.81 L NIRF #64 Highest ₹10 L 73 courses -
7
Indian Institute of Information Technology Design & Manufacturing - [IIITDM]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 2007
9.8 Fees from ₹9.56 L NIRF #151 Highest ₹32 L 27 courses -
8
Guru Nanak College (Autonomous)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1971
9.7 Fees from ₹2.55 L NIRF #89 45 courses -
9
M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1992
9.7 Fees from ₹37,500 Highest ₹10.2 L 26 courses -
10
Hindustan College of Arts and Science - [HICAS]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1995
9.6 Fees from ₹1.51 L Highest ₹3.5 L 59 courses -
11
SDNB Vaishnav College for Women
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1967
9.6 Fees from ₹63,000 Highest ₹7.5 L 74 courses -
12
Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1992
9.5 Fees from ₹4.4 L NIRF #61 Highest ₹33 L 243 courses -
13
Chevalier T.Thomas Elizabeth College For Women - [CTTEWC]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1985
9.5 Fees from ₹1.87 L Highest ₹3.26 L 17 courses -
14
Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 2005
9.5 Fees from ₹2.06 L Highest ₹7.6 L 20 courses -
15
Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Arts and Science College for Women
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1999
9.4 Fees from ₹1.82 L 22 courses -
16
Annai Violet Arts and Science College
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1997
9.4 Fees from ₹96,000 28 courses -
17
Madras Institute of Technology- [MIT]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1949
9.4 Fees from ₹1.62 L Highest ₹36.5 L 45 courses -
18
Thiruthangal Nadar College
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1997
9.4 Fees from ₹1.4 L 26 courses -
19
Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1987
9.3 Fees from ₹4.83 L NIRF #53 Highest ₹41.2 L 117 courses -
20
Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R and D Institute of Science and Technology - [Vel Tech]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1997
9.3 Fees from ₹7.55 L NIRF #87 Highest ₹47 L 100 courses -
21
St. Peter's Institute of Higher Education and Research - [SPIHER]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1993
9.3 Fees from ₹91,000 Highest ₹7.5 L 65 courses -
22
University of Madras
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1857
9.2 Fees from ₹48,572 NIRF #18 Highest ₹6 L 272 courses -
23
DG Vaishnav College - [DDGDVC]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1964
9.2 Fees from ₹1.74 L NIRF #91 Highest ₹9.45 L 67 courses -
24
Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College For Women - [JBAS]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Government · est. 1955
9.1 Fees from ₹34,580 47 courses -
25
Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute
Chennai, Tamil Nadu · Private · est. 1988
8.9 Fees from ₹4.5 L NIRF #30 Highest ₹12 L 468 courses
Showing 25 of 131. Ordered by student rating; colleges that publish a fee appear first.
See all 131 →How to choose between them
Start with the fee you can commit to. Across Chennai the published first-year fee runs from ₹984 to ₹1.15 Cr, so the shortlist changes completely depending on the band you pick.
Government or private. 25 of these are government-run and 106 are private. Government colleges are usually cheaper and admit on entrance rank; private colleges are more likely to have their own admission route.
Check the ranking applies to your course. 37 of these hold an NIRF rank, but NIRF is scored per category — a rank in one category says nothing about another.
Then read the placement tab, not the headline package. The highest package is one student; the percentage placed and the recruiters listed tell you far more.
Frequently asked questions
How many Arts colleges are there in Chennai?
There are 131 Arts colleges listed in Chennai on this page, of which 25 are government and 106 are private.
What is the fee for Arts colleges in Chennai?
Published first-year fees range from ₹984 to ₹1.15 Cr. Each college's own figure is in the table above.
Which is the best college in Chennai for Arts?
SRM Institute of Science and Technology - [SRMIST] has the highest student rating among the Arts colleges listed here, in Chennai.
What is the highest package from Arts colleges in Chennai?
The highest package reported by a college on this page is ₹4.7 Cr. Packages vary by course and year.