Imtiaz Qureshi: Added first article initial version

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{{Short description|Public college in Palayam, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Coord|8|30|07|N|76|56|55|E|display=title}}
{{Infobox university
|name = University College, Thiruvananthapuram
|native_name =
|image_name = University College , Trivandrum.jpg
|image_size =
|motto =
|mottoeng =
|established = {{Start date and age|1866}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://universitycollege.ac.in/?page_id=2226 | title=History of College – University College, Thiruvananthapuram }}</ref>
|founder = [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma|Swathy Thirunal Rama Varma III]]
|former_names = {{Unbulleted_list|The Raja's Free School<br>{{small|(1834–1866)}}|H.H. The Maharaja's College<br>{{small|(1866–1924)}}|H.H. The Maharaja's College of Science<br>{{small|(1924–1942)}}}}
|type = [[Public university|Public]]
|endowment =
|principal = Santhoshkumar K. R.
|administrative_staff = 278
|alumni =
|provost =
|students = 3164
|undergrad =
|postgrad =
|city = [[Thiruvananthapuram]]
|mascot =
|nickname =
|affiliations = [[University of Kerala]]
|website = {{URL|universitycollege.ac.in}}
|logo =
}}
'''University College, Thiruvananthapuram''' ('''UCT''') is a [[public college]] situated in [[Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram]], India. Established in 1866, it is one of the oldest colleges in [[Kerala]]. The college has been accorded "College with Potential for Excellence" (CPE) status by the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]].

University College is identified as a heritage institution by the [[Government of Kerala]].<ref name="ucol">{{Cite web | url=http://universitycollege.ac.in/ | title=Home {{!}} University College, Thiruvananthapuram | website=universitycollege.ac.in}}</ref> Alumni of the college includes luminaries such as the former [[President of India]], [[K. R. Narayanan]], numerous cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, civil servants, IT doyens, teachers, poets, writers, artists, politicians and the like.<ref name="ucol"/>

==Academics==
===Faculties===

'''Language faculties'''
* Faculty of English
* Faculty of Malayalam
* Faculty of Hindi
* Faculty of Arabic
* Faculty of Sanskrit
* Faculty of Tamil
* Faculty of French

'''Humanities faculties'''
* Faculty of Economics
* Faculty of History
* Faculty of Political Science
* Faculty of Islamic History
* Faculty of Philosophy

'''Science faculties'''
* Faculty of Chemistry
* Faculty of Biochemistry
* Faculty of Mathematics
* Faculty of Physics
* Faculty of Geology
* Faculty of Geography
* Faculty of Botany
* Faculty of Zoology
* Faculty of Statistics
* Faculty of Psychology

'''Other faculties'''
* Faculty of Physical Education

===Rankings===
{{Infobox India university ranking
|type=College
|NIRF_C_2022=24}}
It is ranked 22nd among colleges in India by the [[National Institutional Ranking Framework]] (NIRF) in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 NIRF Ranking |url=https://www.nirfindia.org/nirfpdfcdn/2024/pdf/Report/IR2024_Report.pdf}}</ref>

==Notable alumni==
University College Thiruvananthapuram has produced luminaries that include a former president of India, two former chief ministers of Kerala, cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, civil servants, IT doyens, teachers, poets, writers, artists and politicians.
{{Div col|colwidth=40em}}
* [[Abu Abraham]], cartoonist
* [[A. A. Rahim (politician, born 1980)|A. A. Rahim]], Member Of Parliament Rajya Sabha
* [[Alencier Ley Lopez]], Malayalam Actor
* [[Alexander Thomas (Judge)|Alexander Thomas]], former judge of [[Kerala High Court]]<ref name="HC">{{cite web|url=https://hckerala.gov.in/judges.php|title=Official|via=Official website High Court of Kerala|access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>
* [[Anna Chandy]], first woman judge in India; first woman in India to become a high court judge
* [[A. R. Raja Raja Varma]], poet, grammatician, professor
* [[Ayyappa Paniker]], [[poet]] and [[critic]]
* [[Balabhaskar]], Malayalam music director and Violinist
* [[Balachandra Menon]], national award-winning Indian film actor, director, and script writer & lawyer
* [[Bharath Gopi]], Indian film actor, director, and producer
* [[Bheeman Raghu]], actor
* [[C. K. Chandrappan]] Parliamentarian and former Kerala state secretary of CPI party
* [[C. V. Raman Pillai]], [[playwright]] and [[novelist]]
* [[E. D. Jemmis]], Bhatnagar award winner and former director of IISER-TVM
* [[Fathima Beevi]] first woman judge of Supreme Court of India
* [[George Joseph (scientist)|George Joseph]]
* [[G. Madhavan Nair]], former chairman of ISRO
* [[Gopinath Kartha]], Indian crystallographer who determined the structure of [[ribonuclease]]
* [[G. R. Anil]], Minister for Civil Supplies & Legal Metrology, Government of Kerala
* [[G. Venugopal]], Malayalam playback singer, composer
* [[Jacob Punnoose]], former director general of police, Kerala
* [[Jassie Gift]], Indian playback singer
* [[J C Daniel]], "father of Malayalam cinema"
* [[J. Alexander (politician)]], former chief secretary and cabinet minister, [[Karnataka State]]
* [[Karamana Janardanan Nair]], Malayalam actor
* [[Kesari Balakrishna Pillai]]
* [[K.M. Chandy (politician)|K.M. Chandy]] - former governor ([[List of governors of Madhya Pradesh|MP]], [[List of governors of Gujarat|Gujarat]] & [[List of lieutenant governors of Puducherry|Pondicherry]])
* [[K. T. Chacko]], former directorate general of foreign trade
* [[Kodiyeri Balakrishnan]], former secretary of CPI(M) Kerala state, former minister of home affairs State of Kerala
* [[K. R. Narayanan]], former president of India.
* [[Kris Gopalakrishnan]], CEO of Infosys
* [[K. Shankar Pillai]], cartoonist and Padma Bhushan recipient
* [[Madhu (actor)|Madhu]], film actor
* [[Mahesh Narayanan|Mahesh Narayan]], Malayalam film director and editor
* [[Malayattoor Ramakrishnan]], IAS officer, author, cartoonist
* [[Mary Poonen Lukose]], obstetrician, gynaecologist, first female surgeon general of India
* [[M. Krishnan Nair (author)|M. Krishnan Nair]], writer, literary critic, and orator
* [[M. K. Sanu]], professor, orator, critic, biographer
* [[Mohan Sivanand]], former editor-in-chief, ''Reader's Digest India'', painter
* [[M. M. Jacob]], former governor of Arunachal Pradhesh
* [[M.S.Swaminathan]], "father of [[Green Revolution]]" in India
* [[Nitya Chaitanya Yati]], philosopher, psychologist, and poet
* [[O. N. V Kurup]], poet, lyricist, professor and Jnanpith award winner
* [[Pattom A. Thanu Pillai]], former chief minister of Kerala
* [[P. C. Alexander]], civil servant, administrator
* [[P. Gopinathan Nair]], Gandhian and [[Padma Shri]] recipient
* [[P. K. Iyengar]], Indian nuclear physicist
* [[P. Padmarajan]], Indian author, screenwriter, and film director
* [[P. Parameswaran]], Padma Vibhushan awardee, president of Vivekananda Kendra
* [[Prasanth Reghuvamsom]], Senior Journalist, Asianet News
* [[Priyadarshan]], national award-winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer
* [[Raja Ravi Varma]], world-famous [[Painting|painter]]
* [[Raman Viswanathan]], chest physician and [[Padma Bhushan]] awardee
* [[R. Sankar]], former chief minister of Kerala
* [[Sabumon Abdusamad]], Malayalam actor and television anchor
* [[Sethunathasarma Krishnaswami]], geochemist, [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize|Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar]] laureate
* [[Shaji N. Karun]], national award-winning Indian film director and cinematographer
* [[S. Guptan Nair]], Malayalam writer, critic, scholar, and orator
* [[S. Suresh Babu]], atmospheric scientist, [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize|Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar]] laureate<ref name="Biographical Information - Suresh Babu">{{Cite web |url=http://spl.gov.in/biodata/ARFI-SSB.pdf |title=Biographical Information – Suresh Babu |date=9 November 2017 |website=Space Physics Laboratory |access-date=2017-11-09}}</ref>
* [[Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai]], mathematician
* [[Sudheer Karamana]], Malayalam film actor and artist
* [[Sugathakumari]], poet and environmentalist
* [[Sukumaran]], Malayalam film actor, producer
* [[S. Venkitaramanan]], former governor of Reserve Bank of India
* [[Thanu Padmanabhan]], Indian theoretical physicist
* [[T. K. Rajeev Kumar]], Malayalam director'
* [[Krishnan Rajeshwar]], Chemist, researcher and academic
* [[Tony Mathew]], Orator, Writer
* [[T. P. Sreenivasan]], Indian diplomat, former IFS officer
* [[Venu Nagavally]], Malayalam director, actor, screenwriter
* [[V. Madhusoodanan Nair]], professor, poet
{{Div col end}}

==Notable principals==
* John Ross M.A. 1866–1884
* Robert Harvey M.A., L.L.D. 1884–1890
* H. N. Read M.A. 1890–1892 (acting)
* Dr [[Alexander Crichton Mitchell]] D.Sc., F.R.S.E 1892–1909
* A.W. Bishop PhD 1909–1915
* L.C. Hodson M.A. 1912–1915
* [[A. R. Raja Raja Varma]] Kovil Thampuran MA 1915–1916, 1918
* Dr. J. Stephenson, BSc, A.R.D.S.C. 1916–1927
* James Pryde, M.A., BSc 1927–1930

== Controversy ==
On 3 May 2019, a first-year [[Bachelor of Science|BSc]] [[Chemistry]] student [[Suicide attempt|attempted suicide]] on campus, alleging harassment from [[Students' Federation of India|SFI]] leaders for not taking part in their programmes and disruption of classes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Girl who attempted suicide in University College to move out of college|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/girl-who-attempted-suicide-in-university-college-to-move-out-of-college--1.3794900|access-date=2020-11-04|website=Mathrubhumi|date=14 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=University College student's suicide attempt: Minister KT Jaleel seeks report|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/may/04/university-college-students-suicide-attempt-minister-kt-jaleel-seeks-report-1972644.html|access-date=2020-11-04|website=The New Indian Express|date=4 May 2019 }}</ref>

On 12 July 2019, a final-year [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] [[political science]] student was stabbed amid a dispute between two groups of students belonging to the SFI, following which two SFI leaders were arrested.<ref>{{Cite web|agency=TNN|date=Jul 16, 2019|title=SFI kingpins in stabbing of University College student case held {{!}} Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/sfi-kingpins-in-stabbing-of-university-college-student-case-held/articleshow/70237785.cms|access-date=2020-11-04|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><ref name="indiatoday">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/violence-erupts-in-university-college-campus-in-thiruvananthapuram-student-stabbed-1567997-2019-07-12|title=Violence erupts in University college campus in Thiruvananthapuram; student stabbed - India News|website=India Today|date=2019-07-12|access-date=2020-12-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|author=Staff Reporter|date=2019-07-12|title=Thiruvananthapuram University College on the boil as student is stabbed on campus|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/student-stabbed-on-college-campus/article28415827.ece|access-date=2020-11-04|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Later in the day, answer sheets and the official seal of an [[assistant professor]] were recovered while clearing the SFI office on campus, raising questions on the credibility of examinations conducted by the university. The police also found fake seals and university answer sheets from the residence of a prime accused.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stabbing case suspects in rank list: Kerala PSC orders probe|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/jul/16/stabbing-case-suspects-in-rank-list-kerala-psc-orders-probe-2004451.html|access-date=2020-11-04|website=The New Indian Express|date=15 July 2019 }}</ref><ref name="indiatoday2">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/kerala-governor-summons-university-college-vc-psc-chairman-1571628-2019-07-20|title=Kerala Governor summons University College VC, PSC chairman - Education Today News|website=India Today|date=2019-07-20|access-date=2020-12-28}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Campus Violence in India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.universitycollege.ac.in/ University College Thiruvananthapuram, Official website]
* [http://www.keralauniversity.edu/utycolge.htm University College Thiruvananthapuram, webpage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527094741/http://www.keralauniversity.edu/utycolge.htm |date=27 May 2010 }} at [[University of Kerala]]

==See also==
{{Thiruvananthapuram}}

{{Education in Kerala}}

[[Category:University College Thiruvananthapuram| ]]
[[Category:Colleges in Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Arts and Science colleges in Kerala]]
[[Category:1834 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1834]]
[[Category:Colleges affiliated to the University of Kerala]]
[[Category:Academic institutions formerly affiliated with the University of Madras]]

University College, Thiruvananthapuram - Revision history

Imtiaz Qureshi: Added first article initial version