University of North Bengal

History

The University of North Bengal was established by The North Bengal University Act, 1961 passed by the Legislature of West Bengal and the university started functioning in 1962. It was the first university in the North Bengal region. It initially served the predominantly rural areas in the six North Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur, and the neighbouring state of Sikkim.

In 2007, Sikkim University was established and all colleges of Sikkim were affiliated to it. In 2008, the University of Gour Banga was established and almost all the 28 colleges in Maldah, Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur (with the exception of Raiganj University College) were affiliated to it. In 2012-13, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University was established with all the colleges of Cooch Behar district and Alipurduar subdivision of Jalpaiguri district affiliated to it.

The University of North Bengal presently has jurisdiction over the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri.

Campuses

The main campus is spread over an area of 330 acre and lies between Siliguri and Bagdogra Airport in the Terai region of Darjeeling district. The second campus is in Danguajhar, Jalpaiguri. The third campus is located in Salt Lake, Kolkata.

The university has an annual enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate students and more than 1,500 postgraduate students and scholars.

Organisation and administration

Governance

The Vice-chancellor of the University of North Bengal is the chief executive officer of the university. Currently, the post of Vice-Chancellor of the university is vacant.

Faculties and Departments

The University of North Bengal has 30 departments organized into two faculty councils.

Centres

The university offers affiliation to research and academic centres on and off-campus.

Affiliations

Main article: Template:University of North Bengal

The university has several affiliated colleges spread over four districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri, and one sub-division Islampur of Uttar Dinajpur district.

Academics

The University of North Bengal offers four-year (B.A./B.Sc./B.Com.) undergraduate degrees and a five-year B.A. LLB degree. It also offers two-year M.A., M.Com., M.B.A., M.Sc., M.C.A. and M.Pharm degrees, two-year MPhil degrees and PhD degrees.

Accreditation

In 2022, the university was accredited with a CGPA of 2.82 on a seven point scale at "B++" Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), valid for a period of 5 years.

Museum

The Akshaya Kumar Maitreya Heritage Museum incorporating the Raja Rajaram Museum Collection was established in the University of North Bengal in February 1965. The museum is now a repository for sculpture, coins, paintings and manuscripts among other things related to the history of North Bengal. It is also a regional museum and is one of the few university museums in India. It collects, preserves and studies archaeological relics discovered in the region.

Notable alumni

• Subhasish Dey, hydraulician and educator
• Charu Majumdar, founder of the Communist Party of India
• Abdul Karim Chowdhury, former Minister of Mass Education Extension and Library Services in the Government of West Bengal
• Mahima Chaudhry, Indian actress and model
• Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor, singer and film director
• Jyoti Prakash Tamang, Indian food technologist, microbiologist
• Parthasarathi Chakraborty, Indian environmental geochemist, a former senior scientist
• Debkumar Mukhopadhyay, Vice Chancellor of Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University
• Prem Singh Tamang, Chief Minister of Sikkim
• Sanjay Hansda, Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India
• Sumana Roy, Indian writer and poet
• Bhim Hang Limboo, Minister of Public Health Engineering of Sikkim
• Sabina Yeasmin, Indian Cabinet Minister of State
• Sourav Chakraborty, Chairman of Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
• Chokila Iyer, India's first female foreign secretary
• Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, social worker, women's rights activist
• Sukanta Majumdar, 10th President of Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal; Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

References

References

1. (2025). "Detailed Demands for grants for 2025-26". [[Government of West Bengal]].
2. "NIRF 2025". [[National Institutional Ranking Framework]].
3. "The North Bengal University Act, 1961".
4. "University of North Bengal :: Siliguri :: West Bengal".
5. Paul, Binita. (10 May 2023). "North Bengal University, Indian army team up for new research centre to help defence forces". [[The Telegraph (India).
6. "University Programmes and all Departments of University of North Bengal".
7. (August 2025). "UCycle310014". National Assessment and Accreditation Council.