Dental colleges · Academic year 2025-2026
Dental Colleges in Tamil Nadu — All 22 Affiliated Colleges and 2,100 BDS Seats
Tamil Nadu has 22 dental colleges affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, with 2,100 sanctioned BDS seats for 2025-26. Three are government colleges holding 250 seats; 19 are self-financing holding 1,850. Deemed universities award their own degrees and are counted separately.
Every figure here is read from The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University’s own sanctioned-intake document, retrieved 2026-08-25. Covers colleges affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University. Deemed-to-be universities award their own degrees and are not included in this matrix.
This is the complete affiliated list, not a shortlist and not a ranking. Sort it by seat count or by name, or filter it to the three government colleges. Where a page elsewhere quotes “30+ dental colleges in Tamil Nadu”, it is usually adding the deemed universities to this list without saying so — both counts are below.
| College | Location | Type | Minority status | BDS seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adhiparasakthi Dental College and Hospital | Melmaruvathur | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Asan Memorial Dental College & Hospital | Chengalpattu | Self-financing | Minority | 100 |
| Best Dental Science College | Madurai | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| C.S.I. College of Dental Sciences and Research | Madurai | Self-financing | Minority | 100 |
| Chettinad Dental College and Research Institute | Padur, Kancheepuram | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Dental College | Siruvachur, Perambalur | Self-financing | Minority | 100 |
| Government Dental College & Hospital | Cuddalore | Government | Non-minority | 100 |
| J.K.K. Nataraja Dental College & Hospital (JKKN) | Komarapalayam, Namakkal | Self-financing | Minority | 100 |
| K.S.R. Institute of Dental Science & Research | Tiruchengode, Namakkal | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Dental Sciences | Chinna Kolambakkam, Kancheepuram | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Madha Dental College and Hospital | Kundrathur, Chennai | Self-financing | Minority | 100 |
| Priyadarshini Dental College and Hospital | Pandur, Thiruvallur | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| R.V.S. Dental College and Hospital | Sulur, Coimbatore | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Ragas Dental College & Hospital | Uthandi, Chennai | Self-financing | Minority | 100 |
| Rajas Dental College & Hospital | Kavalkinaru, Tirunelveli | Self-financing | Minority | 100 |
| Sri Ramakrishna Dental College & Hospital | Coimbatore | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Sri Venkateswara Dental College and Hospital | Thalambur, Chennai | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Tagore Dental College and Hospital | Vandalur, Chennai | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Tamil Nadu Government Dental College | Chennai | Government | Non-minority | 100 |
| Vivekanandha Dental College for Women | Elayampalayam, Tiruchengode | Self-financing | Non-minority | 100 |
| Government Dental College | Pudukottai | Government | Non-minority | 50 |
| Sree Mookambika Institute of Dental Sciences | Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari | Self-financing | Minority | 50 |
| Tamil Nadu total | 3 government + 19 self-financing | 8 minority | 2,100 |
Source: The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University — Sanctioned BDS intake for the academic year 2025-2026. Retrieved 2026-08-25. Covers colleges affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University. Deemed-to-be universities award their own degrees and are not included in this matrix.
The deemed universities, and why they are not in the table
Several well-known Tamil Nadu dental institutions are deemed-to-be universities. They award their own degrees rather than the university’s, so they do not appear in its sanctioned-intake document at all — among them Saveetha, SRM, Sri Ramachandra, Meenakshi Ammal, Sathyabama, Bharath, Sree Balaji and Vinayaka Mission’s.
No seat count is given for them on this page.The university document does not carry one, and quoting an unsourced figure beside sourced ones would make the whole table less trustworthy. That is also why the totals above say “affiliated” rather than “all of Tamil Nadu” — a distinction most pages on this query skip.
BDS Colleges in Tamil Nadu
BDS colleges in Tamil Nadu and dental colleges in Tamil Nadu — spelt Tamilnadu in most searches — are the same 22 institutions. Bachelor of Dental Surgery is the only undergraduate dental degree recognised in India, so every affiliated dental college here is a BDS college. They hold 2,100 sanctioned BDS seats for 2025-2026, and the table above lists all of them with location, type, minority status and intake.
3
Government BDS colleges
Holding 250 of the 2,100 seats. Filled through Tamil Nadu state counselling on NEET rank, which is why their cutoffs run highest.
19
Private (self-financing) BDS colleges
Self-financing, holding 1,850 seats between them across government-quota and management-quota routes.
8
Minority BDS colleges
Marked in the university document, JKKN among them. Minority status changes how the management quota is filled, not the sanctioned intake or the NEET requirement.
Best dental colleges in Tamil Nadu — what the NIRF 2025 ranking says
The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical Universitypublishes sanctioned intake, not a merit order, so the table above is a list and not a ranking. The only published ranking of dental institutions is NIRF, the Ministry of Education’s national framework. Its 2025 dental ranking places 9 Tamil Nadu institutions in the national top 40, listed below in NIRF order. NIRF ranks only the institutions that take part in it, so this is neither a list of all 22affiliated colleges nor a ranking of BDS seats — and JKKN is not in the 2025 top 40. Most of these nine are deemed-to-be universities, which is why they do not appear in the affiliated table above.
| NIRF 2025 rank | Institution | City | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2 | Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Chennai | 85.31 |
| #8 | SRM Dental College | Chennai | 68.19 |
| #13 | Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research | Chennai | 61.28 |
| #14 | Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Coimbatore | 60.83 |
| #16 | Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research | Chennai | 59.92 |
| #27 | Sree Balaji Dental College & Hospital | Chennai | 56.32 |
| #30 | Dr. M. G. R. Educational and Research Institute | Chennai | 55.08 |
| #32 | Chettinad Dental College and Research Institute | Kelambakkam | 54.90 |
| #39 | SRM Kattankulathur Dental College | Chennai | 52.88 |
Source: NIRF India Rankings 2025: Dental, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Retrieved 2026-09-22. The 2026 dental ranking had not been published on that date. For a candidate choosing on NEET rank, the four sourced columns in the table above — government or self-financing, sanctioned seats, location and minority status — decide more than a national rank does.
Questions parents and NEET candidates ask
How many dental colleges are there in Tamil Nadu?
Twenty-two dental colleges in Tamil Nadu affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University are listed on this page for 2025-26, holding 2,100 sanctioned BDS seats between them. Three are government colleges with 250 seats and nineteen are self-financing with 1,850. Deemed-to-be universities such as Saveetha and SRM award their own degrees and are not in the university matrix, so a larger number quoted elsewhere is usually counting both sets without saying so.
Which are the government dental colleges in Tamil Nadu?
Three: Tamil Nadu Government Dental College, Chennai with 100 BDS seats; Government Dental College & Hospital, Cuddalore with 100; and Government Dental College, Pudukottai with 50. Together they hold 250 of the 2,100 sanctioned BDS seats listed here, which is why government-quota cutoffs are so much higher than private ones.
How many BDS seats are there in Tamil Nadu?
There are 2,100 sanctioned BDS seats across the 22 affiliated colleges listed on this page for the 2025-26 academic year. Most colleges are sanctioned 100 seats each; Government Dental College Pudukottai and Sree Mookambika Institute of Dental Sciences are sanctioned 50 each.
Which dental colleges are near Erode, Salem and Namakkal?
Three of the 22 affiliated colleges listed here sit in the Kongu belt: JKKN Dental College & Hospital at Komarapalayam in Namakkal district, K.S.R. Institute of Dental Science & Research at Tiruchengode, and Vivekanandha Dental College for Women at Elayampalayam. Each is sanctioned 100 BDS seats.
What does minority status mean on this list?
A minority institution reserves a share of its seats for the community it was founded to serve, which changes how its management quota is filled. Eight of the 22 affiliated colleges listed here carry minority status in the university document, including JKKN. It does not affect the sanctioned intake or the NEET requirement.
How do I get admission to a dental college in Tamil Nadu?
Through NEET UG. Candidates qualify the national entrance exam, then take part in Tamil Nadu state counselling for government-quota seats or institutional counselling for management-quota seats. Seats are allotted on NEET rank, category and availability, and the BDS course runs five years including a compulsory rotatory internship.
How many BDS colleges are there in Tamil Nadu (Tamilnadu)?
Twenty-two, and they are the same twenty-two dental colleges listed above. BDS is the only undergraduate dental degree recognised in India, so every affiliated dental college in Tamil Nadu is a BDS college — the two phrases describe one list. Between them they are sanctioned 2,100 BDS seats for 2025-26.
Which are the private (self-financing) dental colleges in Tamil Nadu?
Nineteen of the twenty-two affiliated colleges listed here are self-financing, which is what most people mean by private, and they hold 1,850 of the 2,100 sanctioned BDS seats: J.K.K. Nataraja Dental College & Hospital (JKKN); Ragas Dental College & Hospital; Rajas Dental College & Hospital; K.S.R. Institute of Dental Science & Research; Adhiparasakthi Dental College and Hospital; Sree Mookambika Institute of Dental Sciences; Sri Ramakrishna Dental College & Hospital; Vivekanandha Dental College for Women; C.S.I. College of Dental Sciences and Research; Chettinad Dental College and Research Institute; Madha Dental College and Hospital; Best Dental Science College; Sri Venkateswara Dental College and Hospital; Priyadarshini Dental College and Hospital; Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Dental Sciences; Tagore Dental College and Hospital; R.V.S. Dental College and Hospital; Asan Memorial Dental College & Hospital; Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Dental College. Deemed-to-be universities are private too but are not in this matrix at all, because they award their own degrees rather than the university’s.
What is the BDS fee structure in private colleges in Tamilnadu?
The State publishes two BDS fees. In every self-financing (private) dental college in Tamil Nadu, a Government Quota seat costs Rs. 2,50,000 a year, the fee fixed by the Fee Committee. In government dental colleges the total fee is Rs. 16,073 (Rs. 12,073 for SC, SCA and ST candidates). Management Quota fees are also fixed by the Fee Committee but differ by college; at JKKN Dental College they are Rs. 4,50,000 a year for day scholars and Rs. 5,50,000 a year with hostel for 2026-27. Source: DME Selection Committee prospectus 2025-26 (G.O.(D) No.601, 05-06-2025).
Which are the best or top dental colleges in Tamil Nadu?
The only published ranking is NIRF, the Ministry of Education’s national framework. Its 2025 dental ranking places nine Tamil Nadu institutions in the national top 40: Saveetha (2), SRM Dental College (8), Sri Ramachandra (13), Amrita Coimbatore (14), Meenakshi (16), Sree Balaji (27), Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute (30), Chettinad (32) and SRM Kattankulathur (39). NIRF ranks only the institutions that take part, so it is not a list of all 22 affiliated colleges and JKKN is not in it. The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University publishes sanctioned intake, not a merit order. No published source ranks all 22 affiliated colleges listed here, which is why a state-wide “top 10” is an opinion. What the university document does let you compare is factual: whether a college is government or self-financing, how many BDS seats it is sanctioned, where it is, and whether it carries minority status — all four are in the table above.
BDS admission 2026-27 at JKKN Dental College
JKKN holds 100 of the 2,100sanctioned BDS seats in the university’s matrix, at Komarapalayam in Namakkal district. Send an enquiry and the admissions office will call back with the current fee structure and counselling dates.