Azim Premji University is a state private university located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. It was established by the Azim Premji Foundation, which was founded by the Indian businessman and philanthropist Azim Premji, the founder-chairman of Wipro Limited. The university focuses on programmes and research in education, development, and the social sciences, with an explicit mission of contributing to a more just, equitable, humane and sustainable society.
| Name | Azim Premji University |
|---|---|
| Type | State private university |
| Location | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Founder organisation | Azim Premji Foundation |
| Founder | Azim Premji |
| Focus areas | Education, development, public policy, social sciences |
| Country | India |
The Azim Premji Foundation was set up in the early 2000s to work in the area of school education, with a particular focus on improving the quality of public school systems in India. As the Foundation's work expanded, it identified the need for trained professionals in education and allied development fields. Azim Premji University was established by the Foundation to address this need by preparing graduates and researchers for careers in the social sector.
The university was constituted as a state private university through an Act of the Karnataka Legislature, which provides its statutory framework. It is a not-for-profit institution funded substantially by the Azim Premji Foundation.
The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, along with doctoral and continuing education courses. Its academic offerings span fields such as:
Programmes typically combine classroom learning with field engagement, internships with grassroots organisations, and practice-oriented coursework. The university also runs short-term courses and capacity-building programmes for practitioners working in government systems and non-governmental organisations.
Research at Azim Premji University is organised around themes relevant to India's public systems and social challenges, including school education, livelihoods, sustainability, health, and the state of working India. The university periodically publishes reports and studies on these themes, and hosts an annual research and practice conference that brings together academics, practitioners, and policy actors.
The university operates from a campus in Bengaluru. It has announced expansion plans, including the development of a second campus in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, intended to widen the institution's footprint and engagement in central India.
Azim Premji University is notable as one of the few Indian universities founded explicitly to serve the social sector and public systems, rather than primarily to train students for corporate or technical careers. Its close association with the Azim Premji Foundation gives it a distinctive orientation, linking academic teaching and research with direct field engagement in government schools and development programmes across multiple Indian states. The institution is often discussed alongside other philanthropy-supported private universities in India that have emerged in the twenty-first century.