Mar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies, Tiruvalla, commonly known by the acronym MACFAST, is a self-financing higher education and research institution located in Tiruvalla, in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. The college offers postgraduate and undergraduate programmes in management, computer applications, biosciences and allied disciplines, and is affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
| Name | Mar Athanasios College for Advanced Studies, Tiruvalla |
|---|---|
| Acronym | MACFAST |
| Type | Self-financing college and research institute |
| Location | Tiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India |
| Affiliation | Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam |
| Management | Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church educational trust |
The college is run under the educational initiatives associated with the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and is named in memory of Mar Athanasios, a bishop of the Church. It was established to offer professional and applied postgraduate programmes in a residential campus environment, with an emphasis on industry-oriented training, research, and entrepreneurship development.
MACFAST conducts programmes across several streams, typically including:
The institution has positioned itself as a research-oriented college, with laboratories and centres focused on biosciences and information technology in addition to its management school.
The campus is situated at Tiruvalla, a town in central Travancore that is well connected by rail and road. Tiruvalla is a recognised educational hub in the region, and MACFAST forms part of a cluster of institutions established by Christian denominations in the area.
As a self-financing professional college affiliated to a state university, MACFAST contributes to the supply of management, computing and biotechnology graduates from the central Kerala region. Its dual focus on professional education and research aligns with its identity as a "college for advanced studies" rather than a conventional arts and science college.