University of Mumbai

The University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai, established in 1857 as the University of Bombay following Sir Charles Wood's educational despatch and a petition from the Bombay Association. Modeled on the University of London, it absorbed the existing Faculty of Arts at Elphinstone College and Faculty of Medicine at Grant Medical College. Its first degrees were awarded in 1862, and Cornelia Sorabji became its first female graduate in 1888. Initially only an examining and affiliating body, the university introduced teaching departments and postgraduate courses from 1904. After India's independence, its structure was reorganized under the Bombay University Act of 1953, and it was renamed the University of Mumbai in 1996. As of 2013, it had 711 affiliated colleges and over 549,000 students, making it one of the largest university systems globally. Its jurisdiction covers seven districts, including Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, and Thane. The university's library is housed in the iconic Rajabai Clock Tower, completed in the 1870s. Prominent affiliated institutes include the Government Law College, Institute of Chemical Technology, and Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute. It was ranked 751–760 globally in the QS World University Rankings 2024.