Maharashtra has 24 universities with a turnout of 160,000 Graduates every year.
The University of Mumbai, is the largest university in the world in terms of the number of graduates and has 141 affiliated colleges.

According to prominent national rankings, many Maharashtra colleges and universities are ranked among highest in India.
> Maharashtra is also home many autonomous institutes as Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
Most of these autonomous institutes are ranked the highest in India and have very competitive entry requirements.

Pune has historically been known as a center for higher education and has been referred to as the educational capital of India.
In 2006, it was reported that nearly 200,000 students from across India study in Pune at nine universities and more than a hundred educational institutes.

The state has hundreds of other private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions.
Most of the private colleges were set up in the last thirty years after the State Government of Vasantdada Patil liberalised the Education Sector in 1982.
Although private, the government plays a regulatory role in the opearions of these colleges.
Politicians and leaders involved in the huge cooperative movement in Maharashtra were instrumental in setting up many private institutes The growth of IT clusters in the state has led to a corresponding increase in setting up engineering colleges to cater for the demand for skilled labor in areas where the clusters are located such as Pune.

The state also has four agricultural universities located in different regions of state.

There are also many regional universities that higher education needs at the district levels of the state.
Apart from this, there are a number of deemed universities in the state.

There are also local community colleges with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.
Maharashtra has 24 universities with a turnout of 160,000 Graduates every year. The University of Mumbai, is the largest university in the world in terms of the number of graduates and has 141 affiliated colleges.
According to prominent national rankings, many Maharashtra colleges and universities are ranked among highest in India.> Maharashtra is also home many autonomous institutes as Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Most of these autonomous institutes are ranked the highest in India and have very competitive entry requirements. 
Pune has historically been known as a center for higher education and has been referred to as the educational capital of India. In 2006, it was reported that nearly 200,000 students from across India study in Pune at nine universities and more than a hundred educational institutes.
The state has hundreds of other private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions. Most of the private colleges were set up in the last thirty years after the State Government of Vasantdada Patil liberalised the Education Sector in 1982. Although private, the government plays a regulatory role in the opearions of these colleges. Politicians and leaders involved in the huge cooperative movement in Maharashtra were instrumental in setting up many private institutes The growth of IT clusters in the state has led to a corresponding increase in setting up engineering colleges to cater for the demand for skilled labor in areas where the clusters are located such as Pune.
The state also has four agricultural universities located in different regions of state. 
There are also many regional universities that higher education needs at the district levels of the state. Apart from this, there are a number of deemed universities in the state.
There are also local community colleges with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.
Economy of Maharashtra