Indira Gandhi National Tribal University

Indira Gandhi National Tribal University at Amarkantak was created in 2007 with a specific mandate: widening higher-education access for tribal communities, with research and teaching that engage tribal culture, languages and development alongside conventional degrees in the arts, sciences and commerce. It holds an A grade from NAAC. The setting is unlike most university towns — Amarkantak is a small pilgrimage town in the Maikal hills of eastern Madhya Pradesh, where the Narmada rises; it is remote, green and inexpensive, and campus life is residential by necessity. Fees are low and reservation provisions reflect the university's mandate. It suits students from central India, particularly tribal students, seeking an affordable university degree in a calm environment, and researchers drawn to tribal studies; students wanting urban internships, corporate placement pipelines or big-city life should look elsewhere.