New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS): The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry Tuesday launched Know Your College (KYC), a portal that helps students make informed choices regarding colleges across the nation.

KYC (http://www.knowyourcollege-gov.in/) has been developed for helping a prospective student make a value judgement with regard to the selection of an appropriate college for pursuing higher education by providing the necessary information about the college.

The portal was launched on the occasion of National Education Day, which also marks the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India's first education minister, in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee here.

The portal, through a series of search criteria, allows a finer search to view the details of the selected college. It also shows details of courses, laboratories, faculty, library, availability of hostels, status of ombudsman and anti-ragging facilities available in the college.

HRD minister Smriti Irani said that the portal was an enabling tool for those students who want to carve out a better future for themselves and their family through the medium of higher education.

Along with the president and HRD minister, Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla and ministers of state for HRD Upendra Kushwaha and Ram Shankar Katheria were also present on the occasion.