Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) is a dynamic institution of higher learning, set in a rural milieu of southern Tamil Nadu, with a campus spread of 550 acres. The University was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu as a teaching-cum-affiliating University on 7th September, 1990 to cater to the long-felt needs of the people of the three southern most districts of Tamil Nadu viz., Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, and Kanyakumari. It is Named after the renowned Tamil Poet scholar, Professor P. Sundaram Pillai (1855-1897), the author of the famous verse drama Manonmaniam. It is his poem that has become "Tamil Thaai Vaalthu" the official invocation song sung in all functions in Tamilnadu. The motto of the University is "Reaching the Unreached". Around 2400 students are studying in this institution directly. The University has under its jurisdiction 62 affiliated colleges, 6 University Colleges and 4 Constituent Colleges, with 73,000 students on the rolls. These colleges, amongst which three are over 100 years old viz., St. John's College, M.D.T. Hindu College, and Sarah Tucker College the oldest women's college in the state, have contributed decisively to the cause of higher education of this region.