Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU) is a State university in Vadodara, Gujarat, established 30 April 1949 under the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Act, 1949, growing out of Baroda College, founded in 1881 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. Maharaja Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad pursued the university's establishment, and the founding bill received his assent on 29 April 1949. The university is described by its own site as India's only state university with a residential, unitary character using English as its sole medium of instruction.
MSU holds NAAC A+ accreditation with a CGPA of 3.43, awarded in its 4th accreditation cycle on 30 August 2022 and valid through 29 August 2027, confirmed on both NAAC's own results list and the university's own hosted certificate. Her Highness Shrimati Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad serves as Chancellor, a distinctive continuation of the university's Gaekwad-family founding, unlike other Gujarat public universities, where the Governor typically holds that role.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established | 1949 (Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Act, 1949); grew from Baroda College, 1881 |
| Type | State university (residential, unitary character) |
| NAAC | A+ (CGPA 3.43, 4th cycle, valid to 29 August 2027) |
| NIRF 2025 Pharmacy | Rank 46 (score 53.45) |
| NIRF 2025 (other categories) | Not ranked |
| Faculties | 14 |
| Constituent colleges | 3 |
| Departments | 111 |
| Campus | 275 acres, one main and six satellite campuses, Vadodara |
| Admission | Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS); ACPC/ACPDC for professional programmes; own entrance tests for select programmes |
MSU Baroda operates 14 faculties: Arts, Science, Education and Psychology, Commerce, Medicine, Technology and Engineering, Law, Fine Arts, Family and Community Sciences, Social Work, Performing Arts, Management Studies, Journalism and Communication, and Pharmacy, alongside three constituent colleges (Baroda Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, a Polytechnic, and M. K. Amin Arts and Science College, Padra). Across 111 departments, it offers 88 undergraduate, 121 postgraduate, 68 PhD, and 34 postgraduate diploma programmes.
For 2026-27, all admission applications are routed through the Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) portal, except where admission goes through Gujarat's Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC), Admission Committee for Professional Diploma Courses (ACPDC), or other specified councils. Engineering, architecture, pharmacy, and several postgraduate professional programmes (B.E., B.Arch, B.Pharm, Diploma, M.E., MURP, M.Pharm, MCA, MBA) admit through ACPC or ACPDC rather than a state entrance test named GUJCET, which does not appear on the university's own site. MSU separately runs its own entrance tests for a substantial share of its remaining programmes, most heavily concentrated in Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Science, and Family and Community Sciences.
| Route | Programmes | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) | Most Arts, Commerce, Science, Education, and other non-professional programmes | Centralised state admission portal |
| ACPC / ACPDC (Gujarat) | B.E., B.Arch, B.Pharm, Diploma, M.E., MURP, M.Pharm, MCA, MBA | State professional-course admission bodies |
| MSU's own entrance test | Select programmes, concentrated in Fine Arts and Performing Arts | University-conducted written test |
As of this writing, 202 of MSU's programmes have open 2026-27 admission windows: Technology and Engineering (86 programmes, closing 15 August 2026), Arts (26, closing 5 August 2026), Commerce (22), Fine Arts (17, with BVA and B.Des windows having run 2-14 May 2026), Science (14), and Education and Psychology (13, closing 31 July 2026), among others. M.E. admission runs 24 July to 15 August 2026, and MCA runs 21 July to 8 August 2026.
MSU Baroda's only NIRF 2025 rank is 46th in Pharmacy (score 53.45), confirmed directly against nirfindia.org. It is not ranked in NIRF 2025 University, Overall, Architecture and Planning, or any other category. NIRF does not operate a Fine Arts ranking category at all, so MSU's well-known Faculty of Fine Arts cannot carry a NIRF rank in any year. It holds NAAC A+ accreditation (CGPA 3.43, 4th cycle, valid through 29 August 2027).
MSU Baroda's campus spans approximately 275 acres across one main campus and six satellite campuses in Vadodara, with a registered address at Pratapgunj and a visiting address at Fatehgunj. Facilities include 16 hostels, the Smt. Hansa Mehta Library alongside 13 constituent and 25 departmental libraries, an astronomical observatory established in 1939 with an 8-inch refractor telescope, and an Archaeological Museum.
Established by princely-state legislation assented to by Maharaja Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad in 1949, growing from Baroda College (1881), a distinctive history among major Indian universities
CGPA 3.43 in its 4th accreditation cycle, valid through August 2027, confirmed on both NAAC's own results and the university's certificate
14 faculties spanning Arts, Science, Medicine, Technology and Engineering, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Law, and Pharmacy, among others
Of its programmes carrying a written entrance test, the largest concentrations are in Fine Arts and Performing Arts, reflecting the university's long-standing reputation in these fields
Smt. Hansa Mehta Library plus 13 constituent and 25 departmental libraries, an astronomical observatory dating to 1939, and an Archaeological Museum
| Framework | Category | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIRF | Pharmacy | 2025 | #46 |
| NIRF | Pharmacy | 2024 | #44 |
| NIRF | Pharmacy | 2023 | #30 |
| NIRF | Pharmacy | 2022 | #16 |
| NIRF | Engineering | 2022 | #149 |
No independently verifiable, individually sourced notable alumni could be confirmed for this institution at the time of writing. This section is left out rather than populated with unconfirmed names.
11 courses offered. Fees in INR lakhs.
| Course | Specialization | Duration | Total seats | Total fee | Avg package |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce) | Hons | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce) | — | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | Electronics & Communication Engineering | — | 60 | — | — |
| B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | — | — | — | — | — |
| BA (Bachelor of Arts) | — | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| BA (Bachelor of Arts) | Honours (General) | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications) | — | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| Diploma in Engineering | Computer Engineering | — | 60 | — | — |
| M.Com (Master of Commerce) | — | 24 months | — | ₹1.6L | — |
| MA (Master of Arts) | — | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| MCA (Master of Computer Applications) | — | 24 months | — | ₹1.6L | — |
Campus size, faculty strength, hostel facilities, and academic infrastructure.
