Presidency University, Kolkata

Presidency University

Latin: Universitas Praesidentialis
Motto	Excellence since 1817
Type	Public State University
Established	c. 1817 (1817)
Academic affiliations	UGC AIU
Budget	₹92.86 crore (US$13 million) (FY2026–27 est.)
Chancellor	Governor of West Bengal
Vice-Chancellor	Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty
Academic staff	208 (2025)
Students	2,042 (2025)
Undergraduates	1,559 (2025)
Postgraduates	1,124 (2025)
Doctoral students	483 (2025)
Location	Kolkata , West Bengal , India 22°34′35″N 88°21′44″E
Campus	College Street
Other campuses	New Town Kurseong
Website	Template:Official url

Presidency University, formerly Presidency College, is a public state university located in College Street, Kolkata. Established in 1817 as the Hindoo College, it was later renamed Presidency College in 1855 and functioned as a leading constituent college under the University of Calcutta. It is widely regarded as one of the oldest and most prestigious places of higher education in India. Alumni of Presidency University include two Nobel laureates, leaders of the Indian Independence Movement, heads of state, Academy Award winners and pioneers in Bengali art and literature playing a pivotal role in shaping modern Indian and Bengal education and intellectual discourse.

In its first cycle as a university, Presidency received "A" grade with a score of 3.04/4.00 by the National Assessment and Accreditation Commission. It has been recognized as a University of National Eminence by the University Grants Commission. It was awarded an "A" grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in June 2024. The university received a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.13 out of 4, which is valid for five years.

History

The Presidency College in Calcutta, by Francis Frith.

The main entrance of the university at College Street

With the creation of the Supreme Court of Calcutta in 1773 many Hindus of Bengal showed an eager interest in learning the English language. David Hare, in collaboration with Raja Radhakanta Deb had already taken steps to introduce English language education in Bengal. Babu Buddinath Mukherjee advanced the introduction of English as a medium of instruction further by enlisting the support of Sir Edward Hyde East, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Fort William, who called a meeting of 'European and Hindu Gentlemen' at his house in May 1816. The purpose of the meeting was to "discuss the proposal to establish an institution for giving a liberal education to the children of the members of the Hindu Community". The proposal was received with unanimous approbation and a donation of over Rs. 100,000 was promised for setting up the new college. The 5 Babus who contributed the most in setting up the college with their donations were - Raja Gopi Mohun Deb of Shovabazar Raj, Maharaja Tej Chandra of Bardhaman Raj, Raja Gopi Mohan Tagore of Pathuriaghata, Babu Joy Krishna Singha of Jorasanko, and Babu Ganga Narayan Das. Raja Ram Mohan Roy showed full support for the scheme, but chose not to come out in support of the proposal publicly for fear of "alarming the prejudices of his orthodox countrymen and thus marring the whole idea". Other eminent personalities of Calcutta at that time, such as Rani Rashmoni, Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, Babu Rajchandra Das and Mutty Lall Seal also donated hefty amounts towards the foundation of the College.

At first, the classes were held at Gorachand Bysack house called Garanhatta (later renamed 304, Chitpore Road), which was rented by the college. In January 1818 the college moved to 'Feringhi Kamal Bose's house in Chitpore. From Chitpore, the college moved to Bowbazar and later to the building that now houses the Sanskrit College on College Street.

Transformation to university

On 19 March 2010, the Government of West Bengal passed the Presidency University Bill, 2009 in the State Legislative Assembly. On 7 July 2010, the then Governor of West Bengal, M. K. Narayanan gave his assent to the Presidency University Bill. On 23 July 2010, the Government of West Bengal published the gazette notification completing all the legal formalities for presidency to become a full university. Amiya Bagchi was given the responsibility of chairing a committee set up to select and appoint the first vice-chancellor of the university. Amita Chatterjee, a retired professor of philosophy at Jadavpur University, was appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of Presidency University on 5 October 2010.

In 2011, Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu suggested that a mentor group, along the lines of the Nalanda mentor group, would be formed to oversee the work of the university. At the beginning of June 2011, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, announced that a committee would be formed with Amartya Sen as its chief mentor and Harvard-based Sugata Bose as its chairman to oversee the running of the college and perform the task of appointing all its officials and faculty members. The Presidency mentor group also includes as its members 2019 Economics Nobel Prize winner Abhijit Banerjee, Ashoke Sen, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Nayanjot Lahiri, Himadri Pakrashi, Rahul Mukerjee and Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Swapan Kumar Chakravorty. Sukanta Chaudhuri resigned from the committee in 2012.

The entrance of the campus is marked with a small guardhouse on the left. On the wall of the guard room is a plaque dedicated to durwan (guard) Ram Eqbal Singh, who died defending the institute from rioters. The university held its bicentenary celebrations in 2017.

Campus

New Town campus

The New Town campus of Presidency University is located in Kolkata, near the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, The campus spans 10 acres with two 14-storey towers, the campus was inaugurated in February 2019 by the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, and classes likely began in July 2019. It was built at a cost of Rs 183 crore over two years, reflecting a significant investment in educational infrastructure. The campus houses five advanced study centers, enhancing its research and academic offerings School of Biotechnology (integrated with School of Crop Technology), School of Astrophysics, School of Earth Sciences, School of Public Policy, School of Data Informatics, Cyber Security, and Big Data.

Himalayan Centre of Presidency University

Established as the third campus of Presidency University, Kolkata, the Himalayan Centre at Dow Hill, Kurseong, is an expansion into specialized research and higher education. Inaugurated following an announcement in August 2015 by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the project was backed by an initial state government investment of ₹30 crore, The campus was designed to leverage the unique geographical and ecological vantage point of the Eastern Himalayas. As of July 2025, the university began recruiting key administrative and academic positions.

The campus focuses on academic disciplines including Public Administration, Astrophysics and Space Sciences, and Himalayan Geological Studies and Tectonics. A defining feature is the proposed astronomical observatory, intended to be the first of its kind in the region. Additionally, the university has utilized this site for research in Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Social Anthropology, specifically documenting the indigenous cultures of the hills.

Organisation structure

Governance

Like every state university in West Bengal, Presidency University is headed by the chancellor, who is the Governor of West Bengal. The vice-chancellor is the academic and administrative head of the institution. The post of the vice-chancellor replaced that of the principal after Presidency College received university status. Professor Anuradha Lohia was the first permanent vice-chancellor of the institution. The current Registrar of the university is Dr. Debajyoti Konar.

The Controller of Examinations, the Chief Librarian, the Finance officer and the Dean of students, along with the Dean of Arts and the Dean of Sciences, are the other important office holders of the university. The university is guided by a mentor group. The Mentor Group is chaired by Sugata Bose, the Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University. Nobel Laureate and economist Amartya Sen serves as the Advisor to the chair.

List of Principals

Principals of Presidency College J. Kerr, 1842–1848 David Lester Richardson, 1848–1849 E. Lodge, 1849–1852 J. Sutcliff, M.A., 1852–1856 Leonidas Clint, 1856–1857 E. Lodge, 1857–1858 J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1858–1863 W. Grapel, 1863–1864 J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1864–1875 H. Woodrow, 1875 C. H. Tawney, 1875 J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1875 Alfred Croft, 1876 C. H. Tawney, 1876–1881 G. Bellet, 1881–1882 John Elliot, 1882–1883 Alexander Pedler, 1883 John Elliot, 1883 G. Bellet, 1883 John Elliot, 1884–1885 C. H. Tawney, 1885 W. Griffiths, 1885–1886 C. H. Tawney, 1886–1887 Alexander Pedler, 1887 C. H. Tawney, 1887 Alexander Pedler, 1887–1889 C. H. Tawney, 1889 Alexander Pedler, 1889 Frederick James Rowe, 1889 C. H. Tawney, 1889 W. Griffiths, 1892–1896 Alexander Pedler, 1896–1897 J. H. Gilliland, 1897 Frederick James Rowe, 1897–1898 J. H. Gilliland, 1898 Frederick James Rowe, 1898 William Booth, 1898 A. Clarke Edwards, 1899–1902 Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1902 A. Clarke Edwards, 1902–1903 Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1903 A. Clarke Edwards, 1903 M. G. D. Prothero, 1904–1905 Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1905–1906 Alexander Macdonnell, 1906 A. Clarke Edwards, 1906–1907 Henry Rosher James, 1907–1909 Hugh Melville Percival, 1909 Henry Rosher James, 1909–1911 C. W. Peake, 1911–1912 Henry Rosher James, 1912–1916 William Christopher Wordsworth, 1916–1917 John Rothney Barrow, 1917–1924 William Christopher Wordsworth, 1924 H. E. Stapleton, 1924–1926 T. S. Sterling, 1926–1927 Professor Abdul Khalek M.A, 1927–1929 John Rothney Barrow, 1929–1930 Jahangir Cooverjee Coyajee, 1930–1931 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1931–1934 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1934–1936 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1936 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1936–1942 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1942 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1942–1943 Apurbakumar Chanda, 1943 Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1943–1944 Apurbakumar Chanda, 1944 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1945–1946 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1946–1947 Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda, 1947 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1947 Jogischandra Sinha, 1947 Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1948 Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1948–1950 Jyotishchandra Sengupta, 1950 Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1950–1951 Jyotishchandra Sengupta, 1951–1956 F. J. Friend-Pereira, 1956–1958 Sanat Kumar Basu, 1958–1967 Rajendralal Sengupta, 1967–1969 Samerendranath Ghoshal, 1969–1970 Sudhir Chandra Shome, 1970 Pratul Chandra Mukherjee, 1970–1975 Sudhir Chandra Shome, 1975–1976 Pratul Chandra Mukherjee, 1976–1979 Bijoy Shankar Basak, 1979–1982 Achinta Kumar Mukherjee, 1982–1986 Sunil Kumar Rai Chaudhuri, 1986–1991 Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, 1991–1997 Nitai Charan Mukherjee, 1997–2000 Amitava Chatterjee, 2001–2005 Mamata Ray, 2005–2008 Sanjib Ghosh, 2008–2010 Amitava Chatterjee, 2010

Departments

In academics, the university consists of two faculties – the Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Both Faculties are headed by deans. A total of 16 departments function under the university. They are: Bengali, English, Hindi, History, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Life Sciences, Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics.

Departments of Presidency University

Bengali Life Sciences Chemistry Economics

English Geography Geology Hindi

History Mathematics Performing Arts Physics

Philosophy Political Science Sociology Statistics

Institute of Health Sciences School of Astrophysics

List of Vice Chancellors

Amita Chatterjee	2010–2011
Malabika Sarkar	2011–2014
Anuradha Lohia	2014–2023
Subhro Kamal Mukherjee (acting)	2023–2024
Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty	2024–Incumbent

Rankings

During its tenure as a college, formal national ranking systems like the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) were not in place. However different news outlets ranked Presidency college as one of the leading institutes for humanities and natural sciences.

Ranking years	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Science	2nd	2nd	-	-	3rd	2nd	-	3rd	4th	8th	3rd	5th	3rd
Humanities	2nd	2nd	-	1st	-	-	-	-	2nd	6th	4th	7th	6th

Presidency University, Kolkata was in the inaugural list of the top 50 institutions in the National Institutional Ranking Framework(NIRF) in 2016. In 2025, the university was ranked 124 in Asian University Rankings - Southern Asia. The university was ranked 151-200 overall in India by the NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) in 2024.

University rankings

Notable alumni

See also: List of Kolkata Presidencians

Alumni of Presidency University include two Nobel Laureates in Economics, leaders of the Indian Independence Movement, heads of state, Academy Award winners, academicians and pioneers in Bengali renaissance.

External links

• presiuniv.ac.in