Anna University (AU), formerly Perarignar Anna University of Technology (PAUT), is a technical university in Tamil Nadu, India. It's been ranked 7th[1] best university in India. The university encompasses within it one of the oldest technical institutes in the world and has a history spanning 220 years (As of 2014). It was renamed 'Anna University' on 4 September 1978 as a unitary university, named after C. N. Annadurai. It became an affiliating university in 2001, absorbing about 250 engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu. Between 2007 and 2010, it was split into six universities, namely, Anna University, Chennai, Anna University, Chennai - Taramani Campus, Anna University Chennai - Regional Office, Tiruchirappalli, Anna University Chennai - Regional Office, Coimbatore, Anna University Chennai - Regional Office, Tirunelveli, and Anna University Chennai - Regional Office, Madurai. On September 14, 2011, a bill was passed to merge back the universities. Anna University has once again become a single affiliating university for engineering colleges all over Tamil Nadu from August 1, 2012.[2] The university departments include College of Engineering, Guindy campus, Madras Institute of Technology - Chromepet campus, ACT campus and SAP campus.