The Kerala Higher Education Department has given approval to start two next-generation courses, one each in all government schools and aided arts and science colleges in the state from the academic year 2026-27.
The new courses will be introduced in each of the 69 government colleges and 191 aided colleges. In total, around 520 new undergraduate and postgraduate programs are expected to be introduced in the higher education sector.
The government has clarified that the programs will be launched after approval by the respective universities. No permanent faculty appointments will be made during the first five years of the programs.
So far, the universities have completed their statutory review and recommended 60 new programs at 35 colleges that have been given administrative sanction by the government to start classes in the 2026-2027 academic year. The remaining colleges will also be able to start two programs once they get the university’s approval. Colleges that have already received approval for one program will be allowed to introduce one additional course.
Official sources pointed out that the move is likely to facilitate more flexibility through major and minor options for four-year college programs in the state. The new courses will include emerging and skill-oriented fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, psychology, computer science, logistics, FinTech and data science.
Published – 15 March 2026 16:37 IST
