NBU's Review and Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus at a Glimpse

Accredited by NAAC with an A grade, the University of North Bengal is a state-affiliating university established in 1962. It is famous as the inaugural premier university in the sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal. Many colleges across the northern districts of West Bengal as well as the state of Sikkim are affiliated with NBU. Currently,  the university has 9 continent colleges and 50 affiliated colleges, of which 18 are NAAC-accredited.  Apart from its main campus in Darjeeling, the NBU satellite campus is in Jalpaiguri.

Currently, North Bengal University offers a total of 81 programs through 34 departments in areas such as Anthropology,  Biotechnology,  Bioinformatics, Botany,  Chemistry, Computer Science and Technology, Food Technology, Mathematics, Commerce, Economics, Education, and English amongst several others. NBU admissions are based on merit, except for MBA and M.Pharm programs. MBA admission is done based on CAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ ATMA/ MAT/ GMAT/ JMET/ WBJEMAT and GPAT scores are considered for M.Pharm admission.

Boasting a Green Campus, NBU's infrastructural facilities include separate accommodations for boys and girls, a central library,  seminar libraries for each department,  smart classrooms,  well-equipped laboratories and sports facilities,  just to name a few. With the location being a disadvantage to garnering good placement opportunities and limited exposure,  the students have also shared on online platforms like Google Reviews that they are struggling with issues like the inappropriate behaviour of a few faculty members. Let's find out more in detail!

NBU Ranking

NIRF Ranking: Not in the Race!

Even though the university has submitted its institute data for NIRF 2023, it has failed to obtain a rank in any one of the 13 categories of the NIRF Ranking 2023. It is evident that the university needs to revisit its operations and find the loopholes that have hindered its ability to compete with other universities in its league.

NBU Academia and Batch Size

Academic Composition

University of North Bengal academia is a mix of classroom learning, assessments, assignments, and fieldwork.

According to the Self Study Report 2022, NBU has implemented the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in all its programs offered at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.  The CBCS system allows students to select their desired course. Apart from that, the university has a modular and flexible academic structure and follows the semester system.

Batch Size

The sanctioned intake and actual strength of the students as per the NIRF Report 2023 are as follows:

Our Take:

The table above shows that 37 extra students were enrolled above the approved seat limit for the UG 3-year programs, 375 extras for the UG 5-year programs, 94 students for the PG 1-year programs, and over 1100 students for the PG 2-year programs. So, it is quite evident that there is no end cap on admissions at NBU.

Fees

The fee structure of NBU courses is as follows:

Our Take:

Students have opined that the fees are not justifiable given the placement outcome. As we will see in the placement reports, no students were placed from UG 3-year programs, and for UG 5-year programs like BA LLB(Hons), the median salary offered is significantly low at INR 60,000 LPA, as stated in the NIRF Report 2023.

NBU Infrastructure

Classrooms

According to the university's Self Study Report 2022, there are a total of 177 classrooms, out of which 71 are equipped with ICT facilities, such as LCD, smart board, Wi-Fi/LAN, and audio video recording facilities. It further mentions that every department has more than 2 smart classrooms.

Library

With a built-in area of 2662.61 square meters, the NBU library is a 3-storey building, and the Annex is built on a 2-storey structure. Along with a central library, each department has its own seminar libraries. It is fully automated through INFLIBNET's integrated library management software, SOUL 2.0 (Software for University Libraries) and OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog). The university boasts about being a member of the E-Shodhsindhu Consortium, known for offering online journal subscriptions.

Seminar Halls

According to the official website, NBU has a total of 14 seminar halls dedicated to science departments, 2 seminar halls for Social Science and Humanities departments, and 1 for Computer Science and Application departments.

Laboratories

NBU claims to have well-equipped laboratories for each department. Here is an overview of the same as mentioned in the NBU Self Study Report 2022:

Sports

NBU has a dedicated sports building 'Khela Ghar' comprising a playing arena, changing rooms, a small office, a multi-gym, a storeroom and washrooms. The indoor and outdoor sports facilities are as follows:

Indoor Sports: Table-Tennis, Carrom, Chess, Badminton

Outdoor Sports: Volleyball, Cricket, Football, Kabaddi, Athletics, Shot Put.

Gymnasium

According to the official website, the gym is equipped with facilities like weights, dumbbells, treadmills, cycles, abdominal bench, etc.

Hostels

NBU claims to have separate accommodation facilities for boys and girls. In its 5 boys' hostel and 5 girls' hostel, the seats are for those students living at a distance of 45 km or more from the university campus.

According to the official website, the hostel facilities provided to the students include-

• Sports equipment like volleyballs, footballs, cricket bats and balls, wickets, carom, and gym instruments
• Fire Extinguisher
• Water Purifier and Cooler
• Wi-Fi
• Television
• Water Heater (25 litres)
• News Paper (English, Bengali, Hindi, Nepali)
• LPG connection and Chimney under (RUSA)
• Grant)
• Common Room
• Furnished and Spacious Dining Room
• 24 hours’ Security

The following information has been extracted from the NBU official website:

Boys Hostel

Girls Hostel

Hostel Fees

Our Take:

Students have opined that NBU provides sufficient infrastructural facilities for its students.  However, maintenance is an issue that the students have been stressed about in various reviews. There is no proper cleanliness, especially in the washrooms and corridor areas. Further, they added that sports grounds are not properly maintained. This signifies that even though the university has provided the required facilities, it has failed to maintain them in some areas.

NBU Internships and Placements

Internships

The following data on internships has been retrieved from the Self Study Report of NBU released in 2022:

Our Take:

As per the comments received from students, internships are provided to students enrolled in the following courses: Management, Mass Communication, Law, Library Science and Computer Science. However, there are no such opportunities for students from the humanities, sciences, and commerce departments. So, the university needs to concentrate more on providing training/ internship opportunities to those students.

Placements

The NBU placements statistics for 2022 as mentioned in the NIRF Report 2023, are as follows:

Our Take:

As per the NIRF Report 2023, for the UG-3 year program, 24 students graduated, and for PG 1-year program 16 students graduated, out of which no one got placed or opted for higher studies. For the UG 5-year program, the placement percentage was recorded at only 41.5%, Even more distressing is the median salary offered, which is only INR 60,000 LPA. There are a few reasons highlighted by the students that have prevented them from receiving good placement offers. They are:

• NBU's location in a low industrialized region
• Weak university-industry relations
• Low percentage of MOUs and patents

Gladly, the university has also highlighted the same institutional weakness in its Self Study Report 2022.

NBU Diversity and Demographic Representation

As per the NIRF Report 2023, NBU provides education to 3765 students. Below are the program-wise breakdowns of male and female students, as well as information on student diversity as outlined in the report.

NBU- Gender Ratio Index

Our Take:

As per the data above, it is quite evident that the female count is higher than that of males across all programs, except for UG 3-year programs. The overall male and female percentage as per the NIRF Report 2023 is 37% and 63%, respectively.

NBU- Diversity Representation

Our Take:

The data above shows that NBU has only 3 international students enrolled in the PG 2-year programs. Similarly, students from outside West Bengal are enrolled only in PG programs, not to mention that the student headcount is very low, comprising only 1.43% of the students residing outside West Bengal. With 100% of students from within the state in UG courses, it is apparent that the academic curriculum for the undergraduate courses is not at par with the interests and needs of the students.

NBU Faculty and Administration/Management

Faculty-related statistics as per the NIRF Report 2023:

Our Take:

Faculty-wise, as per the NIRF Report 2023, there are a total of 269 faculty members. The student-faculty ratio currently stands at 13.99%, which is satisfactory. However, it cannot be denied that most of the faculty members are assistant professors. Additionally, the NBU faculty has been embroiled in several controversies over the past three years that have garnered significant attention. This certainly raises concerns regarding the university's quality of teaching.

Here are some of the news clippings:

Source:  The Indian Express

The allegations against the interim VC according to the news were:

• Spending Rs 3 lakh within 3 days for an “Illegal NAAC Review Committee ''
• Attempting to hand over 5 acres of university land to an external organization
• Establishing a research centre on strategic security and defence studies without proper precautions.

According to a leading newspaper,  a NBU professor's audio clip went viral where he was heard demanding INR 10,000 from a female student to help her obtain passing marks in the examination. Similarly, in October 2023, NBU students staged a silent protest before the administrative department against the Botany HoD who was accused of sexually harassing a student over an extended period.

Source:  Siliguri Times

Administration-wise,  based on a student's comment on Quora,  the administration processes are slow and take a toll on students when collecting certificates.  They have also highlighted the behaviour of NBU non-teaching staff and security guards as rude.

NBU Location

Nestled in Raja Rammohunpur in Darjeeling, the University of North Bengal environs in and around the campus are pleasant and full of greenery.  NBU is at a distance of 8 km from Siliguri town.  The closest airport,  Bagdogra Airport,  is at a distance of 5 km from the university premises. For those travelling by railway,  New Jalpaiguri Station is the closest railway station, which is approximately 15 km away from the NBU campus.

Our Take:

Regarding the conveyance option,  the students have not expressed any dissatisfaction. However,  they highlighted that the location is a disadvantage from a placement perspective. The area surrounding the university is not industrially sound,  which is why many companies choose not to visit the campus for placements.

NBU Expectation vs Reality - CollegeDekho Verdict

With a high demand ratio of 299.91, it is evident that native students prefer studying at this university. The infrastructure facilities are sound, but they lack proper maintenance. The percentage of students from outside West Bengal is very low, and one reason that has come forward in our investigation is that most of the classroom teachings are carried out in Bengali, making it difficult for non-Bengali students to attend the classes. Furthermore, the allegations against the faculties, like asking for bribes from students, advancing inappropriate behavior, etc. have compelled students to rethink their decision to join the university.

Final Review Checkbox!