Rajshahi University (RU) has completed 72 years as the country's top higher education institution from a hut on the banks of the Padma. Since its establishment on July 6, 1953, it has been making special contributions to education, research and culture.
The heart of higher education in the northern region, this university has been established as an invaluable center of education throughout the country. However, despite some success in the seven decades since its establishment, the teacher and housing crisis has not gone away, and there are also session jams.
According to the university administration, the institution, which started with 161 students, currently has more than 30,000 students. There are 1,120 teachers and a large number of researchers associated with it. The 753-acre campus has modern infrastructure including 12 faculties, 59 departments and six research institutes. There are also various facilities including 14 academic buildings, 17 residential halls, international dormitories, libraries, ICT centers, museums, stadiums, swimming pools.
Rajshahi University has established a proud position in the domestic and international arena in education and research. The restoration of the lost traditional muslin, the development of technology to remove arsenic contamination from water, the production of green chili powder and sajan leaf powder are some of these successes. In addition, the successes include the discovery of cancer-fighting properties from four vegetables and the discovery of cancer and heart disease prevention in mulberry research, the development of alternative fibers for jute, research on improved fish species and the return of eight species of endangered indigenous fish to the haor, rare orchid cultivation, living flower paintings, and the success of inventing tissue culture technology in soilless grass and pineapple cultivation.
Recently, Professor Dr. Mohammad Toufiq Alam of the Department of Applied Chemistry and chemical engineering has conducted the first successful research in the country on the development of sustainable technology for preserving leather without salt. Professor Dr. Mamunur Rashid Talukder of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering has achieved success in crop production in agriculture using plasma technology. Dr. Arun Kumar Basak, Emeritus Professor of Physics at RU, has also achieved success. These researches are also having a positive impact on the country's practical field.
Meanwhile, the success of RU students in higher education is also increasing. According to the latest data, 34 students have gone abroad for higher education in the last six months. In addition, five students from the university's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the same lab have recently received fully funded scholarships for PhD research at four separate universities in the United States.
The university has achieved national and international recognition in research. According to the latest March 2025 ranking of the UK's renowned science-based journal Nature Index, Rajshahi University has taken the top spot in research in the country. Earlier, in a survey by Scopus, the university ranked at the top of the list of higher education institutions in the country.
According to the US Global News Rankings 2025, it is ranked 638th in the world's research universities. Earlier, RU achieved the top spot in the country in the Webometrics ranking published on January 27 this year. Moreover, 15 researchers, including the university's Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Saleh Hasan Naqib, have been included in the list of the world's top 2 percent of scientific researchers.
On the other hand, the number of foreign students admitted to RU is increasing. In the last academic year 2023-24, 18 foreign students were admitted, including undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students. Currently, 33 students from 9 countries are studying at various levels.
Besides, beyond BJS, Rajshahi University's recent success in BCS is also noteworthy. A total of 62 students from Rajshahi University have been recommended for various cadres in the final results of the 44th BCS, including 4th in the Foreign Affairs Cadre and 5th in the Admin Cadre. On the other hand, 28 students from the Faculty of Law of RU have been nominated as Assistant Judges in the latest 17th Bangladesh Judicial Service Examination, including securing 1st place for the last four consecutive years.
Regarding the success of the university, Professor Md. Akhtar Hossain Majumder, Administrator of the Public Relations Department, said, "Currently, Rajshahi University is in a satisfactory position academically and has also created an important place in international research. However, our responsibility is to produce graduates based on market demand. For this, efforts are being made to modernize the curriculum."
Ariful Islam, a student of the Department of Social Work of the University, said, "There is a constant shortage of seats in our residential halls, unhealthy food, unclean bathrooms, and a shortage of safe drinking water. These irregularities cannot continue in a 72-year-old university. We want accommodation that is educationally friendly, healthy, and safe. The university hall should be our second family. We want RU to be a place where not only the pride of the past, but also effective policies of the present and preparations for the future will be together."
Sadia Tanzim, a student of the Department of Anthropology, said, "While walking on the campus surrounded by greenery, the immense beauty of nature catches the eye, an unknown fear arises in the mind, especially for female students. The environment required for free movement has not yet been fully ensured. We want a campus where the library will be open until 10 pm, drama rehearsals can be held, and research labs can be worked on without fear. Campus security is not a priority, it is our right."
Abdullah Al Mamun, a student of the 2013-14 session of the university's Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, said, "In the 44th BCS, I secured 189th position in the administration cadre and was recommended. I am very happy to achieve such an achievement at Rajshahi University. I am grateful to the teachers for giving me the right direction. With the prayers of my parents and elders, the preferred cadre is coming to BCS.
However, the senior Professors and students of the University said that although there has been success in some areas, there is also a crisis.There is a shortage of teachers in the university. The housing crisis is also quite old. Even in the third year, many RU students are still not getting hall seats, which is creating a big crisis for the quality of academic life and morale. Currently, there are 17 residential halls. However, another new hall is being built. The 10-storey residential hall, built at a cost of about 74 crore taka, is scheduled to be opened in December this year.
Regarding this matter, the university's pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Dr. Md. Farid Uddin Khan said, "To overcome the housing crisis, the university administration has already sent a proposal to the government to build five new halls. In addition, the construction of a new hall for boys is almost complete, and more than 1100 students will get housing facilities there by December. The work of a hall for girls is also nearing completion, and we hope it will be inaugurated next year."
He also said, "Regular monitoring is being done to ensure that the semesters and exams of each department are completed on time to resolve the session jam. We hope that this crisis will be over soon. Moreover, the construction of a new 20-storey academic building is progressing rapidly. After the inauguration of the building, the classroom crisis will also be resolved."
Regarding the overall situation, University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Saleh Hasan Naqib said, "RU is currently doing well in various fields including research, ranking and higher education. We have arranged various incentives to encourage students and researchers as well as teachers and researchers. The university is working on overall academic reform and quality improvement. Work is underway to modernize the curriculum in each department. Academic discipline and class management are being monitored to ensure that credits are being followed. Teacher evaluation will be introduced to ensure the accountability of teachers. A coding-decoding system without name-roll is being introduced from the current academic year for the evaluation of exam answer sheets."
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