Overview
- The Tamil Nadu government issued Government Order No. 100 granting Pachaiyappa’s College co-educational status and the college will begin admitting women at the undergraduate level in the 2026–27 academic year.
- The Government Order records the college’s assurance that the change will not require any extra expenditure from the state.
- Principal Dr Baby Gulnaz, the first woman to lead Pachaiyappa’s College, described the decision as an inclusive step and said the college may extend its admission deadline to accommodate applicants.
- College officials said they had sought co-education status since 2016 and cited a recent decline in undergraduate enrollment caused by new state colleges and larger evening-shift intakes as a key reason for widening the applicant pool.
- The Pachaiyappa’s Trust Board runs multiple colleges and schools in the region, and opening undergraduate seats to women is expected to broaden access for students from deprived backgrounds and help stabilise the century‑old institution’s enrolment.