Presidency University

One of the oldest universities, Presidency College, Kolkata was established in the year 1817. Formerly the college was known as the Hindu College or Presidency College, and currently, it is known as the Presidency University, which was changed in the year 2010. Their motto is ‘Excellence’. It is a public research university situated at College Street in Kolkata. The college has been recognized by the UGC as an Institute of National Eminence. The college was a result of the future goal when it introduced English education among Indians. A group of educated Indians and English men founded the college, and in 1855 it was taken up by the British Government, and later, placed under the Calcutta University by 1857. Presidency College was Bengal’s leading higher education centre for hundreds of years. Presidency College was one of the first Institute which had a western model of higher education in Asia. The college has an anti-ragging cell, an equal opportunity cell, and a grievance re-addressal cell.

The university offers seventeen various courses. The institute maintained a tradition of research that goes with few universities in India. This gives it a special position in under-graduation programs among the educational institutions. The Presidency University is affiliated with UGC, NAAC, and AIU. One of the highlights of the campus is that the campus is free from all caste-based biases. The university has a vast library with a unique collection of books. The main aim of the library is to support the students and faculty of the college. The library is mainly separated into two sections – arts & humanities, and science library. It has access to physical and digital write-ups. The faculty of the university is very talented and highly skilled. There is a friendly atmosphere on the campus. It also provides hostel facilities to the students for a better education. They also offer scholarships to the students in need which helps them in their academic career.

From the early years of College, research programs were their topmost priority in the academic section. The main purpose of these research programs is to understand the socially relevant issues on one side and the fundamentals of various sciences on the other side. The institution has been one of the loftiest research centers since the 19th century. Facilities like laboratories, libraries, and research infrastructure support scholars from all streams. Scholarships are given to aid the research programs. In acknowledgment of various research departments, UGC and other national organizations provide time and extended special provisions. The faculty members have a partnership with the scholars and scientists of national research institutes and various universities within India and abroad. Due to the intellectual trend initiated by renowned scholars, research has always remained an integral part of teaching and learning in this university.

The placement opportunity offered at the University is average as it does not offer placements to all the students. The highest salary offered is 13 lakhs and the average salary is 5 lakhs.

Many great names from the past have been associated with the university like Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Swami Vivekananda, etc. Moving to the present the legacy continues. The former Governor of RBI, Bimal Jalan is an alumnus of this University. Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, an economist who is currently a professor at Ford Foundation International is an alumnus of this university. Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Malabika Sarkar, Aparna Sen, Pritam Chakraborty, Anuradha Lohia, Amartya Sen are a few of the eminent alumni.