University of Calcutta
কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়
Founded in 1857, the university whose first graduates included Bankimchandra Chatterjee and Kadambini Ganguly.
- Students
- 14,484
- 2,349 undergraduates
- Tuition
- ₹57,638
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1857
- QS World Ranking
- 901-950
- 2027 edition
About CU
The University of Calcutta was founded on 24 January 1857, modelled at first on the University of London, and is one of the oldest modern universities in South Asia. Its first two graduates were the novelist Bankimchandra Chatterjee and Juddoonath Bose, and its first two women graduates, Chandramukhi Basu and Kadambini Ganguly, passed their BA in 1882. Nobel laureates associated with the university include Rabindranath Tagore, C. V. Raman (Palit Professor of Physics from 1917 to 1934), and Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee, who studied at its then-affiliated Presidency College.
CU is both a teaching university and an affiliating one. Its own departments are spread across several Kolkata campuses, including College Street (Asutosh Siksha Prangan), the Rajabazar and Ballygunge science colleges, Alipore, the Hazra Road law campus and a technology campus in Salt Lake, and they enrolled 14,484 students in 2024-25, most of them postgraduates. Undergraduate degrees in arts, science and commerce are largely taught in its affiliated colleges.
Students who come to CU's own departments tend to want strong, inexpensive postgraduate or professional programmes in a historic academic setting. Direct undergraduate entry is mainly through the 4-year B.Tech (via WBJEE ranks) and the 5-year B.A. LL.B. (via the CULET-UG entrance test), plus a few programmes such as Home Science and Music.
Augmentum doctrinae
“Advancement of Learning” — university motto
Why students choose CU
Very low fees at the university's own departments: B.Tech tuition is INR 500 a month for Indian students (2026-27).
Fourteen B.Tech streams, including Optics and Optoelectronics, Jute and Fibre Technology, Polymer Science and a new Electronics Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology) course.
International students get 15% supernumerary seats in every UG and PG stream and are exempt from cut-off marks and entrance tests.
A long academic tradition: the university's alumni include Rajendra Prasad, Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha and Subhas Chandra Bose.
Admissions
2027 intake
Selectivity
CU does not publish admit rates. B.Tech places are allotted by WBJEE rank through counselling, and B.A. LL.B. places strictly by merit in the CULET-UG entrance test, subject to West Bengal reservation rules.
Typical entry requirements
| Class 12 (10+2) for B.Tech | At least 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics combined (55% for reserved categories), a pass in each and at least 30% in English, plus a WBJEE rank |
|---|---|
| Class 12 (10+2) for B.A. LL.B. | At least 45% in the best four subjects (42% OBC/EWS, 40% SC/ST/PwD), plus a CULET-UG merit rank; boards other than WBCHSE, ISC, CBSE, NIOS and Rabindra Mukto Vidyalaya need a CU equivalence certificate |
| Foreign qualifications | Qualifying degree and subjects equivalent to CU's rules, with an AIU equivalence certificate where applicable |
| English language | No specific test score is set; international candidates should be proficient in English, the medium of instruction and evaluation. |
Deadlines
- B.A. LL.B. (CULET-UG), previous cycle Non-bindingSeptember 2026 (2026-27 session)
For 2026-27, counselling was still running in late September 2026, with seat booking fees due 29 September and residual admission fees 30 September 2026.
- B.Tech via WBJEE counselling Non-bindingSet by the WBJEE Board schedule
CU publishes its admission schedule after the WBJEE Board announces counselling.
CU had not published 2027-28 undergraduate admission dates when checked in September 2026. The dates shown are from the 2026-27 cycle; expect WBJEE and CULET-UG in 2027 to follow a similar pattern.
How to apply
Indian applicants apply online through the university's admission portal for each programme (for B.Tech, after WBJEE counselling allotment). International self-financed applicants email a CV, passport pages, transcripts, syllabus and AIU certificate; departments verify records, may interview, and the Vice-Chancellor approves a provisional admission letter used for the student visa. ICCR scholars apply through the ICCR portal.
What admissions looks for
- Class 12 marks in the required subjects, above the published minimum percentages.
- Merit rank in the relevant entrance test (WBJEE for B.Tech, CULET-UG for law).
- For international applicants, academic records judged by the departmental committee, sometimes with an interview.
- Proficiency in English for international students.
Tips for applying to CU
- 1 For B.Tech, register for WBJEE: CU does not accept JEE Main ranks.
- 2 If your Class 12 board is not WBCHSE, ISC, CBSE, NIOS or Rabindra Mukto Vidyalaya, get a CU equivalence certificate before applying for law.
- 3 International applicants should start AIU equivalence early, as a CU equivalence clearance is needed before the provisional admission letter and visa.
- 4 Watch the university's admission notice page closely: schedules and deadline extensions are posted there as PDFs.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in INR
Fees at CU's own departments are low. The university administers endowment scholarships and publicises external schemes such as the Reliance Foundation Scholarships 2026-27; international students can also come as ICCR scholars.
- INR 6,395
- B.Tech first-semester total fees (Indian students, 2026-27)
- INR 4,520 per semester
- B.Tech fees from the 2nd to 8th semester (Indian students)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
B.Tech (4-year, 14 streams)
Streams from Computer Science and Engineering to Jute and Fibre Technology and Petrochemical Engineering, taught at the Salt Lake technology campus and admitted via WBJEE; 142 of 312 graduates in 2024-25 were placed and 105 went on to higher studies (NIRF data).
B.A. LL.B. and B.A. LL.B. (Hons.)
Five-year law degrees taught at the Hazra Road campus and affiliated law colleges, with admission by CULET-UG merit.
Chemical Technology programmes
Specialist B.Tech streams in ceramic engineering, oil technology, petrochemical and petroleum refinery engineering, and pharmaceutical and fine chemical technology.
Postgraduate (M.A., M.Sc., M.Com.)
Around 5,900 sanctioned first-year PG places across arts, science and commerce, the core of the university's own teaching.
Research
- C. V. Raman was Palit Professor of Physics at the university from 1917 to 1934, the period of his Nobel Prize-winning work on light scattering.
- Satyendra Nath Bose began his research as a scholar at the University College of Science in 1916.
- The Asutosh Museum of Indian Art, founded in 1937, is described by the university as India's first university museum.
- The university runs a 19-acre ionosphere field station at Haringhata.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Arts
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Science and Agricultural Science
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Agricultural Science
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Engineering and Technology
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Law
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Commerce, Social Welfare and Business Management
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Education, Journalism and Library and Information Science
- Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Fine Arts, Music and Home Science
From the university's NIRF 2026 data: of 312 students completing four-year UG programmes in 2024-25, 142 were placed and 105 went on to higher studies; of 4,786 two-year PG graduates, 2,796 were placed and 895 went on to higher studies.
Student life
CU's heart is College Street, where the university's first building was put up west of the street, facing College Square, between the Presidency and Medical Colleges. Science students work at the Rajabazar and Ballygunge science colleges, engineers at the Salt Lake technology campus and law students at Hazra Road. The university has its own grounds and tent, a rowing club, a health service and halls and hostels, and it runs the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art, which it describes as India's first university museum.
- Historic College Street campus in Kolkata's book-market quarter.
- Asutosh Museum of Indian Art, founded in 1937.
- University Rowing Club and University Grounds and Tent.
- Separate campuses for science, technology, law and home science.
Housing. The university has halls and hostels on about 4.5 acres; international students should confirm accommodation through the International Student Admission Office.
Location
Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, is one of India's major cultural cities, with a long tradition of literature, film, music and politics. CU's main campus is on College Street in central Kolkata, with other campuses across the city, including Rajabazar, Ballygunge, Alipore, Hazra Road and Salt Lake, and a farm at Baruipur.
Nearest airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU), Kolkata
Notable alumni
- RP Rajendra PrasadFirst President of India; studied at Presidency College and took his law degree from the University of Calcutta
- SN Satyendra Nath BosePhysicist behind Bose-Einstein statistics; BSc and MSc in mixed mathematics under the university
- MS Meghnad SahaAstrophysicist and Fellow of the Royal Society (1927); student at Presidency College, later Dean of the Faculty of Science at the university
- KG Kadambini GangulyOne of the university's first two women graduates (BA, 1882) and a pioneering physician
- SC Subhas Chandra BoseIndian nationalist leader; studied philosophy at Presidency College
- SV Swami Vivekananda (Narendranath Datta)Hindu monk and philosopher; studied at Presidency College and Scottish Church College
- AS Amartya SenNobel laureate in economics (1998); BA in economics as a graduating student of the University of Calcutta at Presidency College
- PC Prasanta Chandra MahalanobisStatistician and founder of the Indian Statistical Institute; physics graduate of Presidency College (1912)
Frequently asked questions
How do I get into the University of Calcutta B.Tech?
You need a WBJEE rank and at least 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in Class 12 (55% for reserved categories); JEE Main is not accepted. Seats are allotted through WBJEE counselling.
What are the University of Calcutta fees?
Very low for Indian students: B.Tech tuition is INR 500 a month in 2026-27. International students pay USD 300 to 500 per semester in tuition, depending on the faculty.
Can international students apply to the University of Calcutta?
Yes. Self-financed applicants apply by email to the International Student Admission Office, are exempt from entrance tests and cut-off marks, and compete for 15% supernumerary seats in each programme. ICCR scholars apply through the ICCR portal.
Does the University of Calcutta teach undergraduate arts and science degrees?
Mostly through its affiliated colleges. The university's own departments mainly teach postgraduate courses, plus undergraduate programmes such as the B.Tech, B.A. LL.B., Home Science and Music.
What is the University of Calcutta's ranking?
It is in the 901-950 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027 and ranked 39th in the NIRF 2025 University category.
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.
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