Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni is a state university in Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, established on 1 December 1985 as the country's only university dedicated exclusively to teaching, research, and extension in horticulture and forestry. It ranked 20th nationally in NIRF's 2025 Agriculture and Allied Sectors category, with a rising score across the last three ranking cycles. UHF runs four constituent colleges across horticulture, forestry, food technology, and biotechnology, drawing on India's largest germplasm field gene bank for temperate fruit at its Mashobra research station.
UHF's main campus at Nauni spans roughly 550 hectares, with a further 202 hectares at off-campus sites, and its research network includes five Regional Horticultural Research and Training Stations, twelve satellite stations, and five Krishi Vigyan Kendras across Himachal Pradesh. In its most recently disclosed year to NIRF, the university reported 149 sponsored research projects from 80 funding agencies and 16 patents published. Its Mashobra research station has registered farmer-developed apple selections and reports identifying more than 100 mite species affecting temperate fruit crops, 13 of them new records for India, figures the university states on its own research pages.
UHF traces to Himachal Agricultural College, Solan, founded in 1962, which became the Horticulture Complex of Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, in 1978 before separating into its own university in 1985. Under the 1986 Act that now governs both Himachal Pradesh's agricultural universities, UHF's statutory mandate is fixed to horticulture and forestry, while Palampur's CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya holds the agriculture mandate. UHF's College of Forestry, made a standalone college in 1987, describes itself as the first of its kind in forestry education under India's university system.
UHF's normal admission seats are reserved for Himachal Pradesh domicile candidates, with out-of-state applicants admitted only through separate, higher-cost self-financing seats, a structural distinction worth noting for prospective students outside the state. The university also runs a dual-degree arrangement with Western Sydney University, Australia, under which qualifying students spend their final year on the Australian campus and receive degrees from both institutions.
The Regional Horticultural Research and Training Station at Mashobra maintains what the university describes as India's largest field gene bank for temperate fruit, holding 291 apple, 91 pear, and 51 cherry varieties
A standalone College of Forestry since 1987, described by the university as the first of its kind in India's university system
A dual-degree arrangement with Western Sydney University, Australia, including a fee-waiver route into the partner university's Master's programme
Women make up 63% of undergraduate and 58% of postgraduate students, per the university's most recent NIRF disclosure
The Satyanand Stokes Library holds more than 80,000 items, including access to national research databases such as ShodhGanga and the National Digital Library of India
| Framework | Category | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIRF | Agriculture | 2025 | #20 |
| NIRF | Agriculture | 2024 | #18 |
| NIRF | Agriculture | 2023 | #17 |
Campus size, faculty strength, hostel facilities, and academic infrastructure.
