OSMANIA UNIVERSITY

Osmania University, established in 1917, stands as a beacon of higher education and academic excellence. Founded by His Exalted Highness Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the Nizam of Hyderabad, it holds the distinction of being the seventh oldest university in India, the third oldest in South India, and the oldest in Telangana. The university pioneered higher education through Urdu as the medium of instruction until the mid-1950s, when it transitioned to English.

The University’s academic excellence is reflected in its numerous accreditations and rankings. It received a ‘FIVE STAR’ accreditation in 2001, followed by an ‘A’ grade in 2008, and an ‘A+’ grade in 2017 from NAAC. The UGC granted it ‘Category I’ status in 2018. In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for 2025, it ranked 7thamong Public State Universities, 30thin the University category, and 53rdin the Overall category. The University has achieved notable international recognition, featuring among the “Top 500 Asian Universities” by Times Higher Education Universities Ranking. It secured the 121stposition in QS-2026 Southern Asia Ranking, placed in the 470thRank in QS-2026 Asia University Ranking, and listed in the 1201-1400 band in QS-2026 World University Ranking. The University has consistently ranked among India’s top ten universities for many years in surveys by Indian agencies. It was designated as a University with Potential for Excellence (UPE) in 2012, extended in 2017, and became a MoE-RUSA 2.0 supported University in 2019.

Situated on a sprawling campus in eastern Hyderabad, Osmania University operates as a multi-faculty, multi-disciplinary, and multi-locational institution. It encompasses 66 academic disciplines and 56 departments spread across eight campus colleges, four constituent colleges, and five district PG colleges. The University offers 69 Undergraduate Courses with 125 combinations and 114 Postgraduate Courses, along with research facilities for PhD programmes in 66 disciplines. Its workforce comprises 331 teaching staff, 1,040 non-teaching staff, and 1,996 personnel on contract, time-scale, and outsourced basis.

The University has embraced distance education through the Prof. G. Ram Reddy Centre for Distance Education, offering 72 UG, PG, and Professional courses approved by the Distance Education Bureau, UGC, New Delhi. This Centre serves over 20,000 students annually, facilitating lifelong learning opportunities. The University’s international presence through the Office of International Affairs from its inception is marked by 419 students from 89 countries and academic collaborations with 36 national and 22 international institutions and universities.

Research at Osmania University is comprehensive and interdisciplinary, conducted across all departments, 15 specialized research centres, and five academic centres. The faculty receives substantial research funding from national and international agencies.. The University has secured significant grants, including the DBT-ISLARE project (Rs. 15.00 crore), DST-PURSE funding (Rs. 17.10 crore), RUSA 2.0 (Rs. 107.00 crore) and ANRF-PAIR (Rs. 15.00 crore) support. International research collaborations extend to the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Slovenia, including two projects under UKIERI.

The University has implemented various educational innovations, including the Choice-Based Credit System, internal examinations, and new courses in emerging fields such as Data Science, Cyber Security, and Business Analytics. It has established crucial facilities like the Central Facilities for Research & Development (CFRD), the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM), and the Osmania Technology Business Incubator (OTBI), which has fostered 19 startups. The University’s faculty has secured 340 patents, with 52 granted and others published as of December 2025.

Student support services include career guidance, job fairs, healthcare, psychological counselling, and skill development programs. The University has established specialized centres for competitive examination coaching, placement services, psychological counselling, English language teaching, computing, healthcare, and civil services preparation. Currently serving approximately 4.0 lakh students through 739 affiliated colleges across six districts, Osmania University continues to enhance its academic offerings, research capabilities, and infrastructure while maintaining its position among India’s leading state universities.

Under dynamic leadership, the university continues to strengthen its core pillars of academics, research, innovation, infrastructure, and collaborations. In line with evolving educational paradigms and quality benchmarks in Indian higher education, Osmania University remains committed to maintaining its position among the nation’s premier state universities.