The Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) has been established in 2009 along with other new Central Universities by an Act of Parliament (No 25, of 2009). The University is accredited with 'A' grade from NAAC. The Central University of Punjab is the youngest university that has secured its position in the top 100 institutions (95th Rank) in the University category & 1st amongst New Central Universities in the MHRD’s NIRF Ranking 2019.
It is credited with highest per capita research funding. The university has a mission of providing a wide range of instructional and research facilities across integrated and cross-disciplines, promote innovation in teaching, learning and research, and cross-pollinate new ideas, new technologies and new world-views. It aims to create an ignited workforce responsive to regional, national and global needs in tune with the requirements of academia, industry and business. The university started in a three-room Camp Office provided by the state administration in March 2009. Making a modest but speedy start, the university accepted on rent, a dilapidated campus of 37 acres of an abandoned co-operative spinning mill on Mansa Road, Bathinda. It had a tin-roofed factory-hall and a small administrative building. These structures were renovated and made operational. It is from this campus that CUPB has been working and progressing. The university has established a Central Instrumentation Laboratory, Computer Centre and the University Library to provide high-end facilities to its faculty and students. Air-conditioned lecture rooms, well-equipped science laboratories, a 90-seater seminar hall and a 250-seater air-conditioned auditorium support academic activities. Simultaneously, the arduous task of selecting enough contiguous land for its campus was undertaken. Punjab State Government purchased 500 acre of land in Ghudda village and got it registered as a site for the new university campus. Adopting prescribed procedures, a 9 km wall was constructed followed by tendering for hiring the services of architect, Project Management Consultant and the contractors. Mandatory approvals of the master plan, building plans, associated environmental clearances and also approval from departments of forests, roads, airport authorities and several others have been obtained. The construction work of Phase 1A & Phase 1B is in full swing and is likely to complete shortly.
The Foundation Stone of the campus was laid by the then Hon’ble Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani and the then Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal on 7th September 2015. The campus is designed to be environment-friendly and energy-efficient conforming to GRIHA norms, perhaps the first such instance in the area. Master Plan of the Main Campus has been certified with a five-star rating of GRIHA for larger developments, the highest award of the Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India. Currently, CUPB has 31 departments spread over 12 schools in areas ranging from Sciences, Technology, Humanities, Laws and Social Sciences. We have adopted national model curricula wherever available and supplemented it with the local, national and global issues. CUPB offers only Masters and PhD programmes. It started with the first batch of 10 students in 4 programmes in August 2009 and now has more than 1400 students in different academic programmes including international students from different countries. It is a validation of the university’s growing credibility among the students that in the year 2019-20 the Demand ratio for PG programme 1:49 (53,144 applications for 1090 seats) PhD programme: 1:104.23 (14,385 applications for 138 seats). Besides celebrating international and national commemorative days, students are encouraged to organize annual sports and cultural events during the Foundation Week in February every year. CUPB is committed to the social cause of not only the region, but the whole nation, and actively participates in events like “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, Swachhta Pakhwada etc. Three students earned an award for promoting Digital Economy from Hon’ble Minister of HRD. The university has bagged Winners’ Trophy in 15th National Youth Parliament Competition & top position in 14th National Youth Parliament (in group level) competition.
The University has been amongst the forerunners in term of research projects, which can be well seen with the Best Faculty to Research Projects Ratio of the University. To cater to the financial need of students, the university provides an interest-free loan facility out of the Students Welfare Fund and has also implemented Earn-While-You-Learn scheme. In spite of the locational disadvantage, CUPB in true sense is a multi-cultural mini India as it supports students from 26 states, faculty from 19 states and non-teaching staff from 12 states. The university takes pride in its exceptionally qualified and committed faculty. Mostly faculty trained from the best universities of US, Canada, Germany, England, Japan, Israel. With a much-focussed approach, the university is undoubtedly poised to write a new chapter on the academic horizon of India.
