721-730 in the world · QS 2027

Jadavpur University

A Kolkata state university born of the Swadeshi movement, strong in engineering and the humanities, at very low cost.

Kolkata, West Bengal, India Public state research university Founded 1955 Official website

Students: 12,968; 7,316 undergraduates
International: 0%; of students
Founded: 1955
QS World Ranking: 721-730; 2027 edition

About JU

Jadavpur University grew out of India's freedom movement. During the Swadeshi movement of 1905-06, nationalists founded the National Council of Education to teach literary, scientific and technical subjects under Indian control, and its Bengal Technical Institute (1906) became the College of Engineering and Technology, Bengal. The West Bengal government established Jadavpur University by law on 24 December 1955, adding Arts and Science faculties to the original engineering core.

Today JU has four faculties: Arts; Engineering and Technology; Science; and Interdisciplinary Studies, Law and Management. Engineering is the flagship, with B.E. degrees in fields from Computer Science and Electronics and Telecommunication to Printing, Power, Construction and Food Technology, alongside B.Arch and B.Pharm. The Arts faculty is equally known for English, Comparative Literature, Economics and Film Studies.

In its NIRF 2026 data JU reported about 7,300 undergraduates, 3,150 postgraduates and 2,500 PhD scholars, taught by about 960 faculty. Fees for Indian students are nominal, and most students come from West Bengal. It suits students who want a politically engaged, intellectually lively public university in Kolkata, whether in engineering or the humanities.

jñātum asti vṛddhiṃ prāpnuyāt

“To know is to grow” — university motto

Why students choose JU

NIRF 2025 ranked JU 9th among Indian universities and first among state public universities.

Very low fees: in 2023-24 the BA Economics tuition was Rs 75 a month, and hostel seat rent is Rs 15 a month.

According to its NIRF 2026 data, 864 of 1,063 four-year UG graduates in 2024-25 were placed at a median salary of Rs 10 lakh, and 199 went on to higher studies.

Distinctive programmes such as Comparative Literature, Film Studies, Printing Engineering and Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering.

Admissions

2027-28 session (details shown are from the 2026-27 cycle)

Selectivity

JU does not publish an acceptance rate. B.E. seats are filled through the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) counselling, and entry to BA and BSc honours courses is merit-based with department-level criteria. Foreign students apply directly to the International Students Advisor.

Testing Indian students: WBJEE for B.E. programmes. Foreign students: a valid SAT score plus TOEFL or IELTS; some Arts departments add their own tests or online interviews.

Typical entry requirements

Indian Class XII (West Bengal and other boards)	B.E.: WBJEE rank through the state counselling; BA/BSc honours: merit-based admission with course-specific criteria
Foreign students, engineering (B.E., B.Pharm)	10+2 with at least 90% in physics, chemistry and mathematics taken together and 90% in mathematics, a valid SAT score, IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 80, aged 18-20 on 1 July of the year of application
Foreign students, Arts (BA)	10+2 with at least a first division, a valid SAT score and TOEFL/IELTS; e.g. BA Economics needs 80% aggregate and 75% in mathematics, and English and Comparative Literature add interviews or tests
English language	IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 80 For foreign applicants to undergraduate engineering programmes: IELTS Academic 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 80 (paper-based 560), scores no older than two years. Arts courses ask for TOEFL, IELTS or similar without a published minimum.

Deadlines

Foreign student applications for session 2026-27 (reference) Non-binding Passed

14 May to 15 June 2026

Previous cycle, for undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes; sent to the International Students Advisor.

The foreign-student window shown is for session 2026-27. Dates for 2027-28, and for WBJEE 2027, had not been published on the pages checked.

How to apply

Indian students apply to B.E. programmes through WBJEE counselling and to Arts and Science honours programmes through JU's online admission portal. Foreign students download the faculty's application form and admission criteria, then post the form with transcripts, SAT and English test scores, two recommendations, a 300-word statement of purpose and a US$50 bank draft to the International Students Advisor.

What admissions looks for

For B.E. programmes, a good WBJEE rank.
For foreign engineering applicants, very strong 10+2 marks (90% in PCM and in mathematics) and a valid SAT score.
For Arts courses, subject-specific preparation, such as 75% in mathematics for Economics or a writing sample and interview for English.
English proficiency, shown through TOEFL or IELTS for foreign applicants.

Tips for applying to JU

1 Foreign applicants from developing or lower-income countries (as classified by the UN) pay 50% of the published foreign fees.
2 Mind the age limits: foreign engineering applicants must be 18-20 on 1 July, Arts applicants 18-25.
3 Foreign students can pay in rupees at the university's fixed rate of Rs 94 to the US dollar.
4 Hostel places are limited (about 1,876 seats across 14 hostels), so apply to the Dean of Students early.

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in INR

Financial aid

Fees for Indian students are nominal (the most recent published example, BA Economics in 2023-24, charged Rs 75 a month in tuition). Most support comes from government schemes: in 2022-23, 5,436 JU students received government scholarships, including 1,174 engineering students on West Bengal's Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means scholarship (Rs 60,000 a year). Self-financed foreign students pay US dollar fees, halved for students from developing and lower-income countries; ICCR scholarships are also available.

US$4,800 tuition a year; US$6,350 total in year 1 and US$5,800 a year after (50% for developing countries)
Foreign students, Science and Engineering UG/PG (from 24 March 2025): US$2,400 tuition a year; US$3,250 total in year 1 and US$2,700 a year after (50% for developing countries)
Foreign students, Arts UG/PG (from 24 March 2025): Rs 15 and Rs 10 a month, plus Rs 3,000 at admission including mess advance; meals billed by the student mess committee
Hostel seat rent and electricity (Indian UG/PG students): 5,436
Students on government scholarships (2022-23)

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters

B.E. Computer Science and Engineering

NBA-accredited through 2029-30 and admitted through WBJEE.

B.E. Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering

NBA-accredited through 2029-30; the degree of composer Anupam Roy.

BA Comparative Literature

The department whose inaugural batch included writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen.

BA Economics

Requires 80% aggregate and strong mathematics; filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh took his BA and MA in economics here.

B.E. Printing Engineering

A rare specialisation in India, part of JU's wide engineering portfolio.

B.Arch

From a department ranked 16th in India in NIRF 2025 Architecture.

Research

JU's experimental high-energy physics group shared the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics as part of the ALICE-India collaboration at CERN.
JU received about Rs 27.3 crore for 119 sponsored research projects and about Rs 25.8 crore from 2,428 consultancy projects in 2024-25, according to its NIRF 2026 data.
It had 2,504 full-time PhD scholars and awarded 415 PhDs in 2024-25.

Schools & faculties

Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Law and Management

NIRF 2026 data: of 1,063 students graduating from 4-year UG programmes in 2024-25, 864 were placed (median salary Rs 10 lakh) and 199 went on to higher studies. On 2-year PG programmes, 1,154 of 1,698 graduates were placed (median Rs 8.35 lakh) and 296 went on to higher studies.

Student life

JU's leafy main campus in south Kolkata is known for an intense intellectual and political culture, with active student unions and a strong tradition in literature, film and music. Hostels are self-run to a large degree: each has a student mess committee that runs meals and bills boarders, and rents are nominal. There are 14 hostels with about 1,876 seats, including a men's hostel complex off the main campus and hostels on the Salt Lake campus. The university's alumni in cinema and music, from Rituparno Ghosh to Anupam Roy, reflect how much creative life happens alongside engineering.

About 1,876 hostel seats in 14 hostels, including women's hostels on both campuses.
Student mess committees run hostel dining.
A strong arts and film culture, with alumni such as Rituparno Ghosh and Parambrata Chatterjee.
A second campus at Salt Lake (Bidhannagar), with its own hostels for engineering students.

Housing. Hostel seat rent is Rs 15 a month plus Rs 10 for electricity, with Rs 3,000 payable at admission including mess advance; places are allotted through the Office of the Dean of Students.

Location

The main campus is at Jadavpur in south Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal and one of India's great cultural cities, with a second campus at Salt Lake. Kolkata is affordable by Indian metro standards and has a dense network of buses, the Metro and suburban trains, plus an international airport.

Nearest airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (CCU)

Notable alumni

RG
Rituparno Ghosh

National Award-winning film director; BA and MA in economics
ND
Nabaneeta Dev Sen

Bengali writer and scholar; MA in comparative literature (1958) in the department's first batch
SC
Suman Chakraborty

Director of IIT Kharagpur (from 2025); undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering (1996)
NM
Neel Mukherjee

Booker-shortlisted novelist; studied English before a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford
AR
Anupam Roy

Singer and film composer, National Film Award winner; electronics and telecommunication engineering graduate (2004)
PC
Parambrata Chatterjee

Actor and director; bachelor's degree in English literature

Frequently asked questions

How do I get into Jadavpur University for engineering?

Indian students are admitted to B.E. programmes through WBJEE counselling. Foreign students apply directly with 10+2 results (90% in PCM and in mathematics), a SAT score and IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 80.

What are Jadavpur University's fees for international students?

From 24 March 2025, self-financed foreign students in science and engineering pay US$6,350 in the first year and US$5,800 a year after, and Arts students US$3,250 and US$2,700. Students from developing and lower-income countries pay half.

Is Jadavpur University expensive for Indian students?

No. Fees are nominal; for example, BA Economics tuition was Rs 75 a month in 2023-24, and hostel seat rent is Rs 15 a month plus meals.

What is Jadavpur University's placement record?

According to its NIRF 2026 data, 864 of 1,063 four-year UG graduates in 2024-25 were placed, at a median salary of Rs 10 lakh, and 199 went on to higher studies.

What is Jadavpur University's ranking?

It is in the 721-730 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027, and 9th among Indian universities in NIRF 2025.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.