Founded in 1921 as a by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, the Visva-Bharati University is one of India’s major Central government funded autonomous universities located in Santiniketan, Bolpur (West Bengal). Soon after independence, in 1951, the institution was given the status of university and was renamed Visva-Bharati. The university is affiliated with UGC and approved by the ICAR. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in several disciplines in the arts and sciences.
The university hosts two campuses in Bolpur, one at Santiniketan and the other at Sriniketan. The campus hosts a computer centre, cafeteria, hospital and four guest houses. The university offers transportation facility for its students and staff.
The central library features 4,13,563 volumes of books, around 10,000 users and a daily transaction of 300 books. It features books of eminent authors such as Prabodhchandra Bagchi, Pramatha Choudhuri, Humayun Kabir, Satikumar Chattopadhyay, Lila Ray, Ashok Rudra and Abanindranath Tagore. The e-library provides access to a large number of online journals, newsletters and books.
The university is comprised of institutes, centres, departments and schools.
Undergraduate and post-graduate courses are as follows:
Vinaya Bhavana includes the department of B.Ed, B.A. / B.Sc. (Honours) in physical education, B.P. Ed., M.Ed, M.A. / M.Sc. (Honours) in physical education, B.P. Ed
Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Science) includes the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Centre for Environmental Studies, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Botany and Zoology.
The Vidya-Bhavana (Institute of Humanities & Social Sciences) includes the Humanities and Social Science departments, such as the Department of History and the Department of Economics.
The Kala Bhavana includes department of Painting / Graphic Art (Print Making)/ Design [Ceramic & Glass / Textile / History of Art /Sculpture
Degrees offered include Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) andDiploma in Painting / Graphic Art (Printmaking) /Design [(Ceramic & Glass)/Textile] / History of Art / Sculpture
Bhasha Bhavana includes departments for several languages such as Arabic & Persian, Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Indo-Tibetan, Japanese, Odia, and Sanskrit.
Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agricultural Science) offers B.Sc and M.Sc degrees in Agricultural Science.
Palli-Samgathana Vibhaga (PSV) (Institute of Rural Reconstruction)
LabsOnline admission form is available for B.Ed, M.Ed, M.Sc. (Agriculture)
Eligibility criteria for B.Sc. Agriculture
Candidates should have secured 60 percent marks in both the School Certificate/ Madhyamik/equivalent examination and Pre-degree/Higher Secondary/equivalent examination (10+2) with pass marks in any four of the following subjects in the Pre-Degree/Higher Secondary/ equivalent examination – Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology or Agronomy as Elective Subjects.
Eligibility criteria for BFA programme
History of Art – Candidate should have school leaving certificate/ Madhyamik of Visva-Bharati or equivalent examination with at least 65 percent marks and necessary aptitude.
Others – Candidate should have school leaving certificate/Madhyamik of Visva-Bharati or equivalent examination with necessary aptitude.
Eligibility criteria for B.Ed programme
For fresher – Candidates should hold a B.A. Hons. / B.Sc. Hons. degree with at least 45 percent marks in Honours subject
Fees – Please contact the institute for information of fees.
In May 1951, Visva-Bharati was declared a central university and "An Institution of National Importance" by an Act of the Parliament. It was granted the status of a unitary, teaching and residential university.
The university houses girls’ and boys’ hostels which can accommodate 966 girls and 918 boys including research scholars. There are 15 kitchens at Santiniketan and Sriniketan including one general kitchen for girls. Besides, there are 5 canteens in the campus.
