MGR University Review and Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus At a Glance

Starting with an interesting tidbit, The TamilNadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University possesses the authority to confer affiliation upon new government and self-financing institutions in the fields of Medical, Dental, Indian Medicine/ Homoeopathy, and Allied Health Sciences. Also referred to as TNMGRMU in Chennai, the university is responsible for granting degrees to colleges under its affiliation. 

Department-wise, TNMGRMU has a total of eight, out of which, six are academic departments - Experimental Medicine, Epidemiology, Medical Genetics, Transfusion Medicine, Immunology and Siddha. Courses are offered in streams like Medical, Dental, Indian Medicine and Homeopathy, Allied Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy and Post-Doctoral fellowship in Medical & Dental. 

Established in 1988, TNMGRMU is the second-largest health sciences university in India, but needs improvement in a few areas. We have gathered data from official records and have also taken into consideration the student reviews shared by them on various online platforms to compile a review and verdict article on The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University. Have a look at it if you are considering being a student at this university!

TNMGRMU Ranking

Our Take

In 2022, CWUR ranked The TamilNadu Dr.M.G.R Medical University at 1572 out of 2000 higher educational institutions. There is a lot of scope for TNMGRMU to work its way up the rankings!

TNMGRMU Academia

The TamilNadu Dr.M.G.R Medical University follows a semester-based approach. Courses offered at TNMGRMU are at the undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels. In addition to that it offers a certificate course on Cytogenetics as well. 

TNMGRMU has a separate department- ‘Department of Medical Education and Curriculum Development’ that focuses solely on keeping the Medical and Para-Medical curriculum as per the latest requirements - need-based and innovative. It offers courses in distance learning mode as well.

Our Take:

A few students expressed that the semesters are tough, which need not be a negative thing, considering the vast array of medical courses it has. But what is to be noted here is whether there is a disparity in the teaching techniques and pedagogy as compared to the exams or are the students not able to comprehend what is being taught in the classes? Maybe rote learning is not working here, and the university needs to change its teaching methodology. Regarding distance learning, students have faced issues with services and communication from the management. Such discrepancies have compelled many students to reconsider their decision. Therefore, we would not recommend TNMGRMU to those seeking admission in distance learning mode.

Fees

Provided below is the one-time registration fees structure of TNMGRMU courses:

Our Take:
Considering the data mentioned in the table, the one-time registration fee is highest for the medical and dental courses, whereas, in the case of new allied health sciences courses, the registration fee is the lowest with INR 1,000 for UG courses. The registration fee at PG and PG Diploma levels is the same at INR 3,000 and INR 2,500, respectively, for Indian medicine and homoeopathy, allied health sciences and new allied health sciences courses.

TNMGRMU Infrastructure

Library

Students stated that TNMGRMU has a dedicated library only for doctors. MBBS students who are preparing for their PG have found the library facilities useful. According to the university officials, TNMGRMU has three libraries.

Hostel

The university provides separate accommodation facilities for men and women. According to a few students, the hotel fee is around INR 90,000. TNMGRMU students from the boy's hostel claimed that the facilities provided are satisfactory and not excellent. 

Hostel Mess

Food has been an issue for both the domicile and non-domicile state students. The food quality is said to be poor. No separate food options are available to cater to the diversity of students. According to many students, they have been consistently struggling with the menu and taste.

Security

No CCTV has been installed in the visitor’s hall. A parent expressed that, a college representative from Madha Dental College, a TNMGRMU-affiliated college, acted inappropriately and they had no proof to justify the same with the authority. 

Canteen

The canteen is a favourite spot for the students to enjoy their snack break. Delegates who have visited the campus for conferences have found the food rates to be on the higher side. 

TNMGRMU Internships and Placements

Internships

The university offers non-paid internships from the 1st year itself. Students lap up the internship opportunities for the experience’s sake. Most of the internships available are in hospitals and students seem to be happy with the learning from seniors there. Some of the key takeaways from internships as shared by students are on-hand learning about how to communicate and deal with patients in different situations. 

Placements

As per reviews shared by students on different platforms, the university has provision for placement in the final year/ 5th year for medical students. Most of them are placed in hospitals either in rural areas or urban areas for experience in different situations. 

TNMGRMU Diversity & Demographics

The TamilNadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University invites students from all over the world. The total number of students as per the NIRF 2023 report is 11,306. Out of which, only 39 are international students. International students are mostly inclined towards TNMGRMU’s doctoral courses followed by PG three-year and UG four-year programmes. For the remaining courses, the count is nil as per NIRF Report 2023. Students from other states have raised concerns about the communication gap. All the office-related conversations are done mostly in the native language which creates a gap between the staff and the students. Only a few staff members are fluent in Hindi or English.

TNMGRMU does not entertain ragging both on the university campus or its affiliated colleges. As per a report by TOI, TNMGRMU suspended seven students from its affiliated college, CMC Vellore for their alleged involvement in ragging. Here is the news snippet of the same:

Source: Times of India

Let’s have a look at the demographic representation and gender ratio of TNMGRMU students:

TNMGRMU: Demographic Representation (As per NIRF Report 2023)

Our Take
From the data mentioned above, there are a total of 11,267 state-domicile students under TNMGRMU. Whereas, there are only 2,932 students from outside Tamil Nadu, which is just 20% of the total domestic students. Most of the utilities and facility staff speak in Tamil only, and even if out-of-state students/ foreign students communicate with their peers in English, communicating with the support staff is extremely difficult for them. This could be the reason behind the shortfall of out-of-state students in the university.

TNMGRMU: Gender Ratio Index (As per NIRF Report 2023)

Our Take
The table above shows that the number of women students in TNMGRMU is less than that of men in only UG four-year programmes with an overall female-to-male ratio of 58%.

TNMGRMU Faculty and Administration/Management

Students claimed that personal queries are not being solved properly. When the College Dekho team reached out to the students about the same, a few former students expressed that the staff were good and helpful. On the contrary, the existing students are disappointed with the services provided. This signifies that there has been a negative change in the behaviour of the staff and services provided over the years. Here are a few other incidents that came up:

• Hardly anyone from the management attends to calls or emails.
• Difficult for students outside Tamil Nadu to contact the university.
• Certificates are not issued on time even after clearing the dues.
• Delay in releasing the exam schedules and results.

Our Take

In terms of faculty, TNMGRMU has a good record. However, the students here seem to have reservations about the administration and management. A few students from the 2021 batch shared in Google Reviews that it took over one and a half years to receive the degree certificate. He further added that students have to wait for many months just to receive their final degree certificate instead of looking for jobs.

The TamilNadu Dr.M.G.R Medical University: Expectation Vs Reality - College Dekho Verdict

We can conclude that TNMGRMU is a good university for the domicile state students. However, the rest of the students struggle with the following issues: 

• Communication barrier. 
• Irresponsible behaviour of the management and administration staff has caused stress among students.
• Not receiving phone calls or responding to emails compels students to visit the university every time even for minute tasks. 

Final Review Checkbox!