Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city in southern Tamil Nadu, India. It was established in 1966. Madurai Kamaraj University is one of the 15 universities in India with 'University with Potential for Excellence' status. In 1978, the name was changed to Madurai Kamaraj University to honour K. Kamaraj, former Chief Minister of Madras State.