Private universities are educational institutions that operate independently of public or government funding. The advantage of a private university is that it has autonomy over its own curriculum and sets its own standards. Private universities can even dictate exclusive student eligibility as demonstrated by private women's colleges, men's colleges and religious universities.
Private universities are privately owned and operated without the intervention of government. The funding for private universities comes from student tuition and from endowments from the private sector, such as businesses and alumni gifts.
Deemed universities also have full autonomy over the school's curriculum and even determine their own standards for admissions. The primary difference between a deemed university and a private university is that deemed university is a status bestowed by the Indian government, allowing it to operate like a private university.
The Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development, which is an arm of the Indian government, grants the status of deemed university to schools of higher education and to specific departments of particular universities. The status is granted on advice from the University Grants Commission, an advisory group that examines the academic standards of Indian schools.