- Date:
- 1857 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- public education
University of Calcutta
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What is the University of Calcutta?
The University of Calcutta, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, was founded in 1857 by the East India Company, who modeled it after the University of London. Initially an affiliating university, it conducted examinations and granted degrees to colleges across northern India.
Instruction was added to its supervisory role beginning in 1904. By the mid-1970s, it had grown to be one of the largest universities in the world. Some of India’s oldest colleges were affiliated with the University of Calcutta before being granted autonomous status, including Calcutta Medical College and Presidency College. The university is spread across 14 campuses and includes the first college in Asia for women, Bethune College.
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Where is the University of Calcutta located?
The University of Calcutta is a state-controlled institution in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Established in 1857 by the East India Company, it was initially an affiliating university, similar to the University of London, with authority over colleges throughout northern India.
The university has expanded to 14 campuses, with the main campus on College Street in Kolkata. Its affiliated institutions include Bethune College, the first women's college in Asia; the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, India’s first management institute; the first public university museum in India; and the university library. The Darbhanga Building and Centenary Building are two of the heritage buildings associated with the university.
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When was the University of Calcutta founded?
The University of Calcutta, a state-controlled institution in Kolkata, West Bengal, was established in 1857 by the East India Company anchor text. The university, modeled after the University of London, initially served as an affiliating body, conducting examinations and granting degrees to colleges across northern India anchor text. Since 1904, it has gradually incorporated teaching into its functions anchor text. The University of Calcutta is one of the largest universities in the world and has state-designated centers for advanced study in specific fields anchor text. The language of instruction is English anchor text.
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What are some courses or subjects taught at the University of Calcutta?
The University of Calcutta, founded in 1857, is one of India's oldest and largest universities, with over 150 affiliated colleges. It is spread across 14 campuses.
The university has postgraduate faculties in arts (humanities), commerce, law, medicine, science, and technology. The faculties of ancient Indian history and culture and of applied mathematics, as well as the institute of radio physics and electronics, are state-designated centers of advanced study. Rabindra Bharati University specializes in humanities and the fine arts (dance, drama, and music).
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What is the university known for in Indian education?
The University of Calcutta, established in 1857, is known for its historical significance in Indian education. Modelled after the University of London, it initially served as an affiliating university, conducting examinations and granting degrees to colleges across northern India.
Figures associated with the university include Subhas Chandra Bose, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and Rajendra Prasad. Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu were the first women to graduate from the university in 1883. The university's science laboratories, along with the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science and the Bose Institute, have made contributions to science.
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Who are some famous people who studied at the University of Calcutta?
The University of Calcutta has been associated with prominent figures. Some of the university's notable alumni include Subhas Chandra Bose, who was expelled for revolutionary activities, and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, one of the university’s first two graduates. Rajendra Prasad, the first president of independent India, also graduated from the university with a law degree. Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu were the first women to graduate from the university in 1883. Other alumni include spiritual leader Vivekananda, physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, physician and politician Bidhan Chandra Roy, writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri, and filmmaker Mrinal Sen. Academic staff have included Rabindranath Tagore, scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
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University of Calcutta, state-controlled institution of higher learning in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Founded by the East India Company in British India in 1857, the university is named for the city of Calcutta, as Kolkata was called at the time. Modeled on the University of London, the University of Calcutta was originally a purely affiliating university that offered no actual instruction but was the examining and degree-granting authority for colleges scattered over most of northern India. Since 1904 it has gradually added teaching to its supervisory functions.
By the mid-1970s the University of Calcutta had become one of the largest universities in the world, with 13 colleges under its direct control and more than 150 affiliated colleges as well as 16 postgraduate faculties. The faculties of ancient Indian history and culture and of applied mathematics and the institute of radio physics and electronics are the state-designated centers of advanced study in those fields. The language of instruction is English.
History
The University of Calcutta was founded on January 24, 1857, following a dispatch sent by the Court of Directors of the East India Company to the Governor-General in Council of India. The dispatch, sent in 1854, suggested establishing universities in Calcutta, Madras (now Chennai), and Bombay (now Mumbai). In its early years the University of Calcutta had vast territorial jurisdiction, but the Indian Universities Act of 1904 defined the areas of jurisdiction for the five universities that existed in India at the time (Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Punjab, and Allahabad). Some of India’s oldest colleges were affiliated with the University of Calcutta before being granted autonomous status; these include Calcutta Medical College (the first medical school in India); Government Science College, Jabalpur (the country’s first science college); and Presidency College. Two compositions by poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore have been used in turn as the university’s official song.
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Notable alumni
Some of the most prominent figures of the Indian Independence Movement have been associated with the University of Calcutta: Subhas Chandra Bose was expelled from Presidency College (then part of the university) for his revolutionary activities; author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was one of the university’s first two graduates; and the first president of independent India, Rajendra Prasad, graduated from the university with a degree in law. The first women to graduate from the university—Kadambini Ganguly, the first female doctor in South Asia to practice Western medicine, and Chandramukhi Basu, the first female head of an undergraduate institution in South Asia—did so in 1883. Other noted alumni include spiritual leader Vivekananda, physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, physician and politician Bidhan Chandra Roy, writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri, and filmmaker Mrinal Sen.
Academic staff have included Rabindranath Tagore, scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who later became president of India..
Colleges and institutions
The University of Calcutta is spread across 14 campuses, and its affiliated institutions include Bethune College (Asia’s first college for women), the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (India’s first management institute), the first public university museum in India, and the university library. The main university campus is located on College Street, an academic neighborhood in Kolkata. Several heritage buildings are associated with the university, among them the Darbhanga Building, housing administrative offices, and the Centenary Building, housing the library and the museum.