Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) constituted under the Jawaharlal Nehru University Act 1966 (53 of 1966), dated 22.12.1966 came in to existence on 22.04.1969 (Notification no F.16-1/69-U.2, Dated 21.04.1969), inaugurated on 14 November 1969 by Shri V. V. Giri, the then President of India.

JNU campus is spread over 1000 acres of undulated terrain. JNU is the foremost university in India, and a world-renowned centre for teaching and research. JNU being an institute of eminence in India aspires to create an augmented and integrated ecosystem, with a unique combination of resources, innovative thinking, and careful planning catapulting it to the creation of a University that would be recognized in the league of world-class institutions. JNU’s overarching strategy is to create mechanisms that include the cycle of strategic planning and execution, concrete time-bound implementation, real-time project progress monitoring and robust review system as vehicle to propel the Jawaharlal Nehru University in leagues of other self-sufficient and self-sustained world-class teaching and research system.

 

The University was envisioned as an institution essentially for post-graduate teaching and research. Currently, the University has thirteen Schools. It also has nine Special Centres:

 

Schools

  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship

  • School of Arts & Aesthetics

  • School of Biotechnology

  • School of Computational and Integrative Sciences

  • School of Computer and Systems Sciences

  • School of Engineering

  • School of Environmental Sciences

  • School of International Studies

  • School of Language Literature and Culture Studies

  • School of Life Sciences

  • School of Physical Sciences

  • School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies

  • School of Social Sciences

 

Special Centres

  • Centre for the Study of Law and Governance 

  • Special Centre for Disaster Research

  • Special Centre for E-Learning

  • Special Centre for Molecular Medicine

  • Special Centre for Nanoscience

  • Special Centre for National Security Studies

  • Special Centre for Tamil Studies

  • Special Centre for the Study of North East India

  • Srimanta Sankardev Special Centre of Indic Studies

 

Out of the thirteen Schools, the School of International Studies, the School of Social Sciences and the School of Language, Literature & Culture Studies have different Centres, while other Schools are of a unitary nature and have no Centre. All these Schools/Centres promote interdisciplinary studies – a unique feature of JNU.

 

The University has completed about 60 years and has acclaimed the status of international repute for its unique modern techniques in terms of teaching and research. 

 

Unlike other universities, the JNU’s educational philosophy is reflected in its academic structure which is broad based and has interdisciplinary functioning within the Schools/Centres/Special Centres. Therefore, the basic academic units of the University are not single discipline departments but multidisciplinary Schools of Studies. A School has been visualized as a community of scholars from various disciplines which are linked with each other organically in terms of their subject-matter and methodology as well as in terms of problem areas. 

 

As the University is mainly involved in instructional and research programmes, it is not limited to classroom activities with fixed hours. Being a residential University with hostels and residences of teachers intermingled, the students’ instructional and research activities goes beyond classroom hours and normal office hours.

 

The emphasis of the University is to strengthen inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approach in keeping the changing needs of society and recognition of fact that knowledge is indivisible.