University College, Ghudda

The Central University of Punjab is a central research university situated in Ghudda village, Bathinda, Punjab, India. It was established under the Central Universities Act 2009, which received presidential assent on 20 March 2009, with jurisdiction extending across the State of Punjab. The university began functioning from a Camp Office in April 2009 and moved to its City Campus, spread over 35 acres, in November 2009. It primarily offers research-oriented master's and doctoral programmes such as Ph.D., M.Sc., M.A., M.Lib.I.Sc., M.Pharm., M.Tech., LL.M., M.Ed., and MBA, and since July 2024 has also introduced bachelor's degrees including B.Tech(CSE), B.A.-LL.B., B.Pharmacy, B.A.-B.Ed., B.Sc.-B.Ed., and integrated BS-MS courses in Biological Sciences. The university comprises eleven schools covering subjects like Basic Sciences, Education, Engineering & Technology, Environment and Earth Sciences, Health Sciences, Information and Communication Studies, International Studies, Languages, Literature and Culture, Legal Studies, Management, and Social Sciences. It holds a NAAC 'A+' grade and was ranked 77th overall, 40th in Law, and 20th in Pharmacy in the NIRF 2025 rankings, while also being ranked first among newly established central universities in India since 2012 according to Researchgate and Scopus.