University of Dhaka

University of Dhaka
ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়
Crest of Dhaka University.
Latin: Universitas Dacca
Former name
University of Dacca (1921–1982)
Motto
শিক্ষাই আলো
Motto in English
Education is light (Latin: Educere Est Lux)
TypePublic
Established1921 (1921)
Accreditation
ChancellorPresident Mohammed Shahabuddin
Vice-ChancellorASM Maksud Kamal
Academic staff
2,156+[1]
Administrative staff
3,887[2]
Students46,150+[1]
Undergraduates30,000+[3]
Postgraduates9,362+[3]
974+[3]
Other students
269+[3]
Address, , ,
Bangladesh

23°43′59″N 90°23′28″E / 23.73306°N 90.39111°E / 23.73306; 90.39111
CampusUrban, 254.083 acres (102.824 ha)
Colors   
Navy Blue and Red
Websitewww.du.ac.bd

The University of Dhaka (Bengali: ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়; also known as Dhaka University or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1921 as University of Dacca and it is the oldest active university in Bangladesh.[4][5]

The university was founded in 1921 under the Dacca University Act 1920 of the Indian Legislative Council.[6] Nawab Bahadur Sir Khwaja Salimullah, who pioneered the university in Dhaka, donated 600 acres of land from his estate for this purpose.[7] It is modeled after British Universities.[8] Currently it is the largest public research university in Bangladesh, with a student body of 46,150 and a faculty of 1,992.

It has made significant contributions to the modern history of Bangladesh.[8][9][10][11] After the Partition of India, it became the focal point of progressive and democratic movements in Pakistan. Its students and teachers played a central role in the rise of Bengali nationalism and the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.[citation needed]

Notable alumni include Satyendra Nath Bose, known for Bose–Einstein statistics and the theory of Bose–Einstein condensate, Muhammad Yunus (winner 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, pioneer of microcredit), Muhammad Shahidullah, Natyaguru Nurul Momen Pioneer of Cultural & theatric activities of Dhaka University (He was both a student of DU & later a teacher), Serajul Islam Choudhury (the country's leading public intellectual and writer), Mohammad Ataul Karim (physicist), Buddhadeb Bose (20th-century Bengali poet) and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (the founding father of Bangladesh but he never got any degree from DU).[citation needed]

DU is the highest ranked university in Bangladesh ranking 691–700 worldwide according to the QS World University Rankings of 2023 and ranks between 601 and 800 globally in Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2023.[12][13]

DU Convocation of 1936, (from left) Sir Jadunath Sarkar (historian), Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (writer), Sir John Anderson (Chancellor and Governor of Bengal), Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy (chemist), Sir A F Rahman (Vice Chancellor)
Nawab Bahadur Sir Khwaja Salimullah was one of the founding fathers of the University of Dhaka, who played a pioneering role in establishing the university and donated 600 acres of land from his estate for this purpose.
Followed by Nawab Bahadur Sir Salimullah's death, Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury continued the movement for establishing the university, mortgaged a part of his zamindari estate, and donated 35,000 takas for the university. He also gave 16,000 takas to the University of Dhaka for student scholarships in 1921.
  1. ^ a b "Annual Report 2015". University of Dhaka. p. 132. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  2. ^ ৪১তম বার্ষিক প্রতিবেদন [41st Annual Report]. University Grants Commission (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Annual Report 2015". University of Dhaka. p. 95. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh: Dhaka University listed among 350 top universities of Asia | Indiablooms – First Portal on Digital News Management". Indiablooms.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  5. ^ "University of Dhaka". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2023-07-14. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  6. ^ "Dacca University Act". old.du.ac.bd. Archived from the original on 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Worldh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "DU Day". Banglanews24.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Mukherjee 'emotional' while receiving degree in Dhaka". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  10. ^ "In Loving Memory of Samson H. Chowdhury,one of the greatest entrepreneurs the world has ever known". Worldfolio – AFA PRESS. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Nawab Ali Chowdhury National Award, 2013". The News Today. Archived from the original on 2019-01-07. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  12. ^ "University of Dhaka". Times Higher Education (THE). 2023-03-28. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  13. ^ "University of Dhaka". Top Universities. Archived from the original on 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-05-29.