University of Delhi: the Top non-IIT University in India

University of Delhi: the Top non-IIT University in India

The University of Delhi, a state-supervised body of higher education, is one of the most premier universities of India, renowned for the benchmarks it has created in the field of teaching and research. The University of Delhi boasts of its history of producing great civil servants, politicians, doctors, engineers, scientists and other eminent personalities.

Founded in 1922 by a Central Legislative Assembly Act, the University of Delhi is a federal university with its jurisdiction over a large number of colleges & institutions situated in Delhi. It’s a UGC recognized University and a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Medical Council of India (MCI).

As per the THES-QS world universities ranking, the University of Delhi has been ranked as the best non-IIT University in India. The University office & Library are situated in Viceregal Lodge Estate, better known as the Main Campus of the University. There are two campuses existing in the University, namely the North campus (located in the northern part of the city) and South campus (located in southern part of the city).

Currently, the East & West Campus of the University are being developed. The East Campus is being developed in conjunction with the University College of Medical Science & the West Campus is being developed with the focus on Engineering & Technology.

A large number of reputed colleges are affiliated to the University of Delhi such as St Stephen's College, Lady Shri Ram College, Miranda House, Hans Raj College, SRCC, Indraprastha College, Hindu College, Jesus & Mary College, Acharya Narendra Dev College, College of Arts, Bhagini Nivedita College, Deshbandhu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Institute of Home Economics, Kalindi College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Lady Irwin College, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Daulat Ram College, Kamala Nehru College, Shri Venkateshwara College, Kirori Mal College, Gargi College, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Shivaji College, Sri Aurbindo College, Zakir Husain College, Vivekanand College, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, Swami Shraddhanand College etc.

The University of Delhi houses faculties imparting education in the field of arts, commerce, law, medicine, music, social sciences, fine arts, mathematics, technology etc. for the past eleven decades. The medium of education is both in English as well as Hindi.

Currently, the University of Delhi encompasses 14 faculties, 86 academic departments & 79 colleges scattered across the length & breadth of the national capital, imparting education to over 2,20,000 students from Delhi, other states & abroad. It has 15 Universities in total.

One of the remarkable accomplishments of the University is the University Science Instrumentation Centre (USIC), which possesses a large number of advanced research instruments. These instruments are widely used by different departments of the University & other institutions affiliated to the University. The North & South campus of the University have recently witnessed the completion of fiber-optic networks.

To cater to the accommodation needs of outstation & international students, the University has established some hostels both in North campus as well as South campus. The hostels of North campus are namely, Jubilee Hall (Boys), D. S. Kothari Hostel (Boys), International Students House (Girls), University Hostel for Women (Girls), Mansarovar Hostel (Boys), Gwyer Hall (Boys), Meghdoot Hostel (Boys), PG Men's Hostel (Boys) and V. K. R. V. Rao Hostel (Boys).The hostels of North campus are namely, Saramati Hostel (Boys) and Geetanjali Hostel (Girls). In addition to the above listed gostels, many colleges affiliated to the University run their own hostels.

Talking about the hostel life of DU, many students are of the opinion that the hostel life in DU is an enriching & rewarding experience. It gives ample opportunities to the students to interact with students from diverse family, academic & regional backgrounds thereby making them more culturally informed, patient & enlightened citizens with well-developed inner strengths to face the hardships of future life.

With the increase in number of students every year, seeking admission in any of the colleges of the University is a cumbersome task & there can be seen grueling competitive scenario there since there is only a limited availability of seats. The admission process starts in the month of June every year. The students can fill in the Centralized Admission form & apply for the desired college & course. However, the admission takes place strictly on a merit basis for which cut-off lists are declared by all colleges.

Students failing to get admission in the regular courses of DU can then apply for admission in the University’s 'School of Open Learning'; the classes are run on the weekends/public holidays. Taking into account the dog-eat-dog admission scenario, the University of Delhi has declared to offer 5,000 more seats in the UG courses in 2010.

The University of Delhi is all out there to carry forward the legacy of educational excellence in 2010 too!