Gauhati University

It was indeed a dream come true for thousands of people of Assam who had relentlessly agitated for decades for an institute of higher education in the province when Gauhati University was established on 26 January, 1948. For a long time, the only university in the entire eastern region was at Calcutta. This university catered to the needs not only of the students from Bengal but also of those from Bihar, Orissa and Assam. Naturally, therefore, seats for students from Assam were extremely limited and very often even meritorious students found themselves ousted in the fray. Over the years, this had caused resentment among the educated Assamese youth and the necessity of a separate university began to be acutely felt.

The University of Gauhati, popularly known as ‘Gauhati University’, is the oldest and largest University at the North East India. Since its inception in 1948, it continues to be a leading teaching and research institution, offering courses in a wide range of disciplines. Many of our teachers are academics of national and international repute, and are working in the state of-the-art areas of research. The University has forty-one Post Graduate Departments, an Institute for Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) and a constituent Law College in the main campus. It has 258 affiliated colleges, offering Under Graduate and Post Graduate courses in the Faculties of Arts, Commerce, Engineering, Fine Arts, Law, Management, Medicine, Science and Technology.

Starting with 18 affiliated colleges and 8 Post Graduate Departments in 1948, Gauhati University, today, has 39 Post Graduate Departments, besides IDOL (Institute of Distance and Open Learning) and a constituent Law College. It has 341 affiliated colleges offering undergraduate and post graduate courses in the faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, and Engineering. Gauhati University is a member of the Association of Indian Universities and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. The aspirations of the founders of the University have not gone in vain. The alumni of this university have been able to make their mark not only within the state but at the national level as well. Indeed many have been able to adorn the higher echelons of the nation’s scientific, socio-cultural, administrative and political life.

The following statement is a vision of the university, which is a declaration for the university’s intention to guide its internal decision making process for realizing its core values. "To perform a transformative role for the region and its people, foster a spirit of enquiry, articulate global human, social and scientific concerns from its strong base in the region, set ethical standards in thinking and practice and enable the making of responsible citizens and compassionate and sensitive human beings." This Vision results in the following Mission statements:

• Academic Excellence to provide quality teaching and a learning environment that takes account of changing student needs and expectations, incorporate global developments in all fields into its curricula, conduct cutting edge research through innovation and collaboration across all borders.
• To Widen Horizon of Institutional Activity to extend its activities to address environmental, social and cultural concerns in the region, and promote free inquiry and life-long learning.
• To Empower and Competent Stakeholders to empower stakeholders of the university and its affiliated colleges through capacity development, augmentation of skills and entrepreneurship, provide access to knowledge, extend academic and administrative assistance and enable employability.
• To Improve Support-Structure to improve existing academic and administrative resources and enhance physical and technological infrastructure for the effective realization of the University’s vision.