Calicut University, created by bifurcating Kerala University, is the second university to be set up in Kerala. M. M. Gani, 1969–75, was the first vice-chancellor of the university. Its primary catchment area is the northern districts of Kerala. Calicut University has nine schools and 34 departments. Calicut University currently (2018–19) has 301 under-graduate students and 1799 post-graduate students. The number of full-time doctoral students is 581. The university was ranked 54th among Indian universities by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2020 and 76th overall.