Academicians
- Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, mayor of Madras (1928–30), vice chancellor of University of Kerala (1951–61), Travancore
- A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, first Indian principal of the Madras Medical College and longest-serving vice chancellor of the University of Madras
- V. L. Ethiraj Mudaliar, founder of Ethiraj College for Women
- Malcolm Adiseshiah (1910–1994), economist, former deputy director general of UNESCO and founder of MIDS (Madras Institute of Development Studies)
- V. C. Kulandaiswamy, educator and technologist. Formerly vice-chancellor of Anna University, IGNOU and Tamil Virtual University.
- Mu. Varadharasan, Tamil scholar, winner of Sahithya Academy award and ex-vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University
- Sivaraj Ramaseshan (1923–2003), scientist and ex-director of the Indian Institute of Science
- M. Anandakrishnan, chairman
- Arjun Appadurai, contemporary social theorist, educator and founder of the School of International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- M. Lakshmanan, microbiologist, former vice chacellor of Madurai Kamaraj University and ex-president of Association of Microbiologists of India
- V. C. Balasubramaniam, director of Institute of Pathology, MMC
- M Murugesh Mudaliar, principal, BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore
- T Kuthalingam, scientist and technologist, former vice chacellor of Madurai Kamaraj University
- H. S. S. Lawrence, educator, former director of school education, Tamil Nadu and UNESCO expert to the government of Afghanistan
Read more about this topic: List Of People From Tamil Nadu, Scholars