Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, was founded on 27 November 1943 under the Utkal University Act, 1943, and re-enacted under the Utkal University Act, 1966. It is the first university of Odisha and, per its own account, the 17th oldest university in India. Its main campus is at Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, spanning nearly 399 acres, with a second campus at Chandikhole for skill, vocational, and management education.
The university holds NAAC A+ accreditation, CGPA 3.26, Third Cycle, declared 30 November 2023, valid 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2028, confirmed identically on NAAC's own published dataset and the university's own AQAR filing. It ranked 48th in NIRF 2025 State Public University category (score 50.53), confirmed directly against nirfindia.org, and placed in the 101-150 band for the University category.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 27 November 1943 |
| Type | State university, Odisha |
| NAAC | A+ (CGPA 3.26, Third Cycle, declared 30 November 2023, valid to 31 May 2028) |
| NIRF 2025 State Public University | Rank 48 (score 50.53) |
| NIRF 2025 University | Band 101-150 |
| Main campus | Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, nearly 399 acres |
| Second campus | Chandikhole, for skill, vocational, and management education |
| Teaching departments | 30, offering 113 programmes across 50 UG/PG/PhD tracks |
| Affiliated colleges | 381, per the university's own FY2023-24 AQAR |
| UG admission | SAMS Odisha, merit-based, not a university entrance test |
| PG admission (university departments) | OJEE, GAT-B, or merit lists, depending on programme |
Utkal University organises its academic offerings across 30 teaching departments, running 113 programmes with 1,362 courses, including integrated MBA and MCA tracks. Two constituent colleges operate alongside these departments: the Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education and the University Law College. Notable dedicated units include the School of Women's Studies and departments of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Sanskrit, and Odia. Its affiliating network runs to 381 colleges, per its own FY2023-24 AQAR filing.
Undergraduate admission to Utkal's affiliated colleges runs through SAMS Odisha, the state government's centralised, merit-based portal using Class 12 marks, not a university-run entrance test and not CUET. Postgraduate admission into Utkal's own departments uses a mix of mechanisms depending on programme: OJEE for M.Tech, GAT-B for M.Sc Biotechnology, and merit lists for others.
| Route | Programmes |
|---|---|
| SAMS Odisha, merit-based | Undergraduate programmes at affiliated colleges |
| OJEE | M.Tech (Computer Science) |
| GAT-B | M.Sc Biotechnology |
| Merit lists | Other postgraduate departmental programmes |
For the 2026-27 cycle, several postgraduate-level admission processes at Utkal's own departments are genuinely active as of this writing: M.Tech (Computer Science) counselling via OJEE, M.Sc Biotechnology admission with a third merit/waiting list active, a PG Diploma in Remote Sensing and GIS merit list, and ITEP B.A B.Ed spot-selection lists. Undergraduate admission to Utkal's affiliated colleges runs on a separate state-managed SAMS Odisha timeline; this page does not state a specific current-status date for that process, since it could not be independently confirmed on the live portal during this research.
Utkal University ranked 48th in NIRF 2025 State Public University category (score 50.53), confirmed directly against nirfindia.org, correcting a stale "42nd" figure cited in the university's own AQAR, which appears to reference an earlier ranking cycle. It placed in the 101-150 band for the University category. It holds NAAC A+ accreditation, CGPA 3.26, Third Cycle, declared 30 November 2023, valid to 31 May 2028.
Utkal University's main campus is at Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Khordha district, spanning nearly 399 acres. A second campus at Chandikhole, roughly 70 km from Bhubaneswar, serves skill, vocational, and management education.
The first university of Odisha, founded in 1943
CGPA 3.26, Third Cycle, valid through 31 May 2028
Ranked 48th nationally (score 50.53)
30 teaching departments offering 113 programmes across 50 UG/PG/PhD tracks
Vani Vihar for the main campus and Chandikhole for skill and vocational education
| Framework | Category | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIRF | State Public University | 2025 | #48 |
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.A B.Ed (Integrated) | — | — | 100 | — | — |
| B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce) | — | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce) | Hons | 36 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| B.Ed (Bachelor of Education) | M.Ed | — | 50 | — | — |
| B.Ed (Bachelor of Education) | — | — | 50 | — | — |
| 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 | — |
| 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.
