The University of Delhi, popularly known as Delhi University (DU), is a central, collegiate, public research university headquartered in New Delhi, India. Established in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly, it is one of the largest higher education institutions in India, comprising several constituent and affiliated colleges spread across the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
| Name | University of Delhi |
|---|---|
| Common name | Delhi University (DU) |
| Type | Central university, public |
| Established | 1922 |
| Location | New Delhi, India |
| Main campuses | North Campus and South Campus |
| Chancellor | Vice President of India (ex officio, traditionally) |
Delhi University was created through the Delhi University Act, 1922, passed by the Central Legislative Assembly of British India. At its inception, the university was a teaching and affiliating body with a small number of colleges and a modest student enrolment. Hari Singh Gour served as its first Vice-Chancellor. Over the decades it expanded substantially, particularly after Indian independence in 1947, when New Delhi's role as the national capital drew significant academic and governmental investment.
The university operates primarily through two principal campuses:
DU functions as a collegiate university: undergraduate teaching is delivered largely through its constituent and affiliated colleges, while postgraduate teaching and research are concentrated in university departments organised under faculties such as Arts, Science, Social Sciences, Commerce and Business, Law, Management Studies, Medical Sciences, and Technology.
The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, commerce, law, medicine, and engineering. Several of its constituent colleges, including St. Stephen's College, Hindu College, Hansraj College, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Miranda House, and Shri Ram College of Commerce, are widely regarded for their academic standards and selective admissions. The School of Open Learning provides distance education to a large number of students.
Delhi University has played a central role in shaping higher education in northern India. Its alumni include heads of state and government, judges of the higher judiciary, scientists, civil servants, writers, journalists, economists, and figures from business and the arts. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission and has been accredited by national bodies for higher education quality assessment. As a research institution, it contributes across disciplines, with notable departments in physics, chemistry, economics, history, and political science.
The university is governed under the Delhi University Act, 1922 and its statutes. Principal authorities include the Visitor (the President of India), the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor (chief executive and academic officer), the Court, the Executive Council, and the Academic Council. Funding is largely provided through the Government of India via the University Grants Commission.