Manipal
Meeting people at Manipal Academy of Higher Education
MAHE turned a hill five kilometres from Udupi into India's best-known campus town, where more than 30,000 students across medicine, engineering, hospitality, design and management share one 600-acre campus, End Point sunsets and Malpe Beach weekends.
Manipal was a barren hill five kilometres from Udupi until T.M.A. Pai opened Kasturba Medical College there in 1953; today the town of about 50,000 is so dominated by students that locals simply call it Campus Town.
The story of Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Manipal began with a medical college. In 1953 Dr T.M.A. Pai founded Kasturba Medical College, India's first private medical school, on what the town's own history describes as a barren hill with few trees. An engineering college, the Manipal Institute of Technology, followed in 1957.
Over the next decades the institutions grew into a university town. In 1993 they became Manipal Academy of Higher Education, a deemed university, and in 2020 the Ministry of Education named MAHE an Institution of Eminence. It holds an A++ grade from NAAC and ranked fourth among Indian universities in NIRF 2024.
MAHE now runs more than 370 programmes across health sciences, technology and science, and management, law and humanities. Beyond Manipal it has campuses in Mangalore, Bengaluru and Jamshedpur, plus Dubai and Malaysia.
What the campus is like socially
Manipal is less a campus inside a town than a town built around a campus. Around 50,000 people live there, and students set the rhythm, from late-night food joints to packed cafes near the institutes. Medical, engineering and hospitality students share the same streets, so friend groups often cross faculties.
Geography shapes the social calendar. End Point Park, on the edge of the plateau, is the default sunset spot, Manipal Lake is the walking loop, and Malpe Beach, a short ride away, is the weekend escape. Monsoon brings 500 cm or more of rain a year, so umbrellas and raincoats are part of the uniform from June to October.
Traditions every Manipal Academy of Higher Education student knows
- Revels: The big cultural and sports fest hosted by MIT Manipal, the event that pulls the whole town in every year.
- TechTatva: MIT Manipal's technical fest of competitions, workshops and talks.
- Manipal Marathon: A university-run marathon that brings students, staff and townspeople onto the same roads.
- Sunset at End Point: Almost every fresher makes the trip to End Point in the first weeks, and most keep going back.
- Malpe weekends: The nearby beach is where Manipal unwinds after exams and fest weeks.
Campus lore and insider spots
- Campus Town: With students making up most of the population, locals and alumni simply call Manipal Campus Town.
- The barren hill: The plateau had few trees before 1953. The green town students know today grew around the institutions.
- Blue-eared Kingfisher: Manipal records 155 bird species, including the rare Blue-eared Kingfisher, a surprise for anyone expecting a concrete college town.
- One department, two CEOs: Satya Nadella and Rajeev Suri both studied electronics and communication at MIT Manipal.
How to find your people here
At Manipal Academy of Higher Education, the clubs and societies are the fastest way in, especially in your first semester when everyone is still building their circle.
Fests and societies at Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Signature fests
- Revels
- TechTatva
Notable societies
- Student clubs at MIT Manipal
- Entrepreneurship cell
- NSS and volunteering groups
Societies worth knowing at Manipal Academy of Higher Education
- Technical clubs at MIT: Student teams and chapters in robotics, coding and aerospace, with racing and rocketry teams that compete nationally.
- Cultural clubs: Dance, drama, music and literary groups that do most of the work behind Revels.
- Entrepreneurship cell and incubator: Pitch events, hackathons and summits that connect student founders with MAHE's startup incubation support.
- Health sciences student bodies: Medical, dental and allied health students run their own conferences, quizzes and outreach camps.
- Volunteering groups: NSS units and service clubs run community work across Udupi district.
Careers, internships and placements
Careers at MAHE depend heavily on the institute. Engineering students at MIT attract tech, product and core recruiters, medical and dental graduates head into residencies and postgraduate entrance exams, and hospitality, design, communication and management students run separate placement tracks.
The global network is a real advantage. MAHE has more than 250 international partnerships for exchanges and research, and alumni sit in leadership roles from Microsoft to Narayana Health.
Notable alumni
- Satya Nadella: Microsoft CEO and an electronics and communication engineering graduate of MIT Manipal.
- Rajeev Suri: Former Nokia CEO who studied electronics and communication engineering at MIT Manipal.
- Devi Prasad Shetty: Cardiac surgeon and founder of Narayana Health, who completed his MBBS and general surgery training at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore.
- Vikas Khanna: Michelin-starred chef who studied hotel management at Manipal and graduated in 1991.
- Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Entrepreneur and former Union Minister, listed among MAHE's alumni.
Rivalries and eternal debates
Private engineering aspirants argue endlessly over Manipal, VIT and BITS. BITS fans point to academics, VIT fans to scale, and Manipal loyalists to the campus town itself, with medicine, hospitality, design and engineering all on one hill. Inside the family, the Manipal campus is often treated as the original by students at newer sites.
What Manipal Academy of Higher Education is talking about now
MAHE is pushing research and international ties under its Institution of Eminence status, while the student calendar still revolves around Revels, TechTatva, monsoon season and the next trip to Malpe.
Meeting people at Manipal Academy of Higher Education by interest
A lot of friendships here form around a shared interest rather than a class or a hostel wing. If you are into startups and builders, volunteering and social impact, running, reading and book clubs, and food and cafe hopping, those pages cover where that scene actually happens in India and how to find people near you who are into the same thing.
Colleges nearby
Manipal Academy of Higher Education sits close to MIT Manipal, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Institute of Communication, and TAPMI Manipal, all part of the same Manipal student scene. Cross-college friendships often start at inter-college fests, hackathons, or shared-interest communities rather than in class.
Similar campuses across India
If you are looking beyond your own campus, students at Mahindra University, Manipal University Jaipur, Master's Union, and Medi-Caps University share a similar campus culture, and Zyber works the same way at each: showing you verified people nearby who match on interest, intent, or timing.
Zyber on campus
Zyber is built for meeting people nearby in real time, with verified profiles only. At Manipal Academy of Higher Education, that means showing you people near you who share your interests or your drive, whether or not you overlap on a class or a society.
New to Manipal Academy of Higher Education? Start here
If you are just starting out, these freshers guides are written for exactly this moment: first week of college checklist, how to choose societies in college, making friends beyond your branch, and internship in first year.
FAQ: Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Is MAHE the same as Manipal University?+
Yes. Manipal Academy of Higher Education was formerly known as Manipal University and is a deemed university.
Where is Manipal?+
Manipal is in Udupi district, coastal Karnataka, about 5 km from Udupi and 62 km north of Mangalore.
Is MAHE an Institution of Eminence?+
Yes. The Ministry of Education granted MAHE Institution of Eminence status in 2020.
When was Manipal University founded?+
Its story starts in 1953 with Kasturba Medical College. The institutions became the deemed university MAHE in 1993.
How big is the Manipal campus?+
The main Manipal campus covers about 600 acres and has more than 30,000 students across MAHE.
What are the best hangout spots in Manipal?+
End Point Park for sunsets, Manipal Lake for walks and Malpe Beach for weekends are the classic student spots.
How do I make friends at Manipal Academy of Higher Education?+
The fastest way to make friends at Manipal Academy of Higher Education is to join a society or activity group in your first few weeks and keep showing up, since Manipal's campus culture here rewards consistency over one-off networking.
What societies should I join at Manipal Academy of Higher Education?+
At Manipal Academy of Higher Education, the societies and clubs tied to what you actually care about, not the biggest or most popular ones, tend to build the strongest friendships.
What are the main societies and fests at Manipal Academy of Higher Education?+
Manipal Academy of Higher Education's social calendar centers on Revels and TechTatva, alongside societies like Student clubs at MIT Manipal, Entrepreneurship cell, and NSS and volunteering groups.
How do I meet people from other colleges nearby?+
In Manipal, cross-college friendships usually start at inter-college fests, hackathons, or shared interest communities rather than in class. Apps like Zyber help by showing you nearby people at other campuses who share your interests.
Stop Scrolling. Start Connecting.
Download Zyber free and start meeting people nearby, right now.
See meeting people in Manipal, events in Manipal, the freshers guide, the Meet People pillar, or read what Zyber is.