The Dhaka University is the first and the largest university in Bangladesh. Located in Dhaka, it was established in 1921. The university has a campus of over 600 acres , and contains the following facilities for its students.
The University contains about 220 Trusts and Foundations named after distinguished personalities and Organizations, offering scholarships and medals to meritorious students of the University. Besides, a large number of scholarships are also offered by the University, Dhaka University Alumni Association and the Government.
A dormitory is called a Hall in the university. Students admitted to the Departments and Institutes of the University have either to reside in or be attached to a hall of residence. The University has thirteen halls of residence and two hostels for male students; and four halls of residence and one hostel for female students. The administration of a hall is headed by a Provost who is assisted by a number of House Tutors and Assistant House Tutors while the administration of a hostel is controlled by a Warden assisted by Assistant Warden(s).
Male Students' Halls and Hostels
Female Students' Halls and Hostel
Currently, the construction of a Twin Hall (500+500 capacity) for female students is in progress.
The University Library is the biggest in Bangladesh. It is housed in three separate buildings :
The Library holds a collection of more than 617,000 volumes, including bound volumes of periodicals. In addition, it has a collection of over 30,000 manuscripts on various languages and a large number of microfilms, microfiche and CDs. It subscribes to over 300 current foreign journals. The main Library Building contains reading materials, including text books, reference materials, journals, etc. in the disciplines of arts, social sciences, business studies, and law. Readers can issue available books from the issue counter. A complete automation of the system is in the process. The Confined Section of the Main Library Building contains numerous rare books. The Computer Section is housed in the extension building of the Library.
The Library Administrative Building accommodates the Administrative, Manuscripts Reprography, Acquisition, Processing, and Binding sections. Important reading materials can be reproduced in the forms of microfilms and photocopies from the Reprographic Section as well as from the Reading Rooms.
The Science Library contains reading materials, including text books, reference materials, journals, etc. Borrowing and photocopying facilities of reading materials for science students and teachers are available in that section of the library.
A Resource Center for the Visually Impaired Students has been established in the Dhaka University Central Library under the joint collaboration of the University of Dhaka and an international organization, called Sight-savers. The Centre contains modern library facilities for the visually impaired students of the University.
The students Counselling and Guidance Service is an integral part of the academic programmes of students of the teaching Departments and Institutes of the University. It aims at helping students to adjust to campus life, effectively pursue curricular as well as co-curricular activities, develop their abilities for making wise choices and plans, and solve individual problems through counselling.
The following are the principal activities of the Counselling and Guidance Service:
The University of Dhaka organizes sports and other extracurricular and recreational activities.
The Office of the Director of Physical Education provides three types of programmes:
Physical Education is a compulsory subject for first and second year undergraduate students. All undergraduate students are required to undergo a course of physical instruction for the first two years according to their needs and interests.
The Directorate also organizes and conducts interdepartment and inter-hall tournaments, individual hall athletics, Dhaka University athletics, and Inter- University games and sports. University students participate in national championships in different games and sports for which prior training and coaching are offered.
The University has four standard size playgrounds : three of these are at the halls and one at the Sports Centre. The Centre also has a brick-built covered gallery for spectators, and basketball hard courts.
The Medical Centre of the University of Dhaka, located near the Science Annex Building, offers free medical service and free pathological examinations to students, teachers and staffs of the University and also family members of the teachers and staffs. The Centre provides service round the clock, seven days a week, with 30 doctors working in different shifts. The Centre also has dental unit, eye unit, x-ray department and two ambulances. The Centre has in its premises arrangement for 30 bed accommodation so that students suffering from such contagious diseases as chicken pox, mumps, etc. may be taken care of in isolation.
A small Operation Theatre has been established in the Centre to meet minor surgeries. Students get medicine from the Centre free of cost and employees get medicine at cost price. Physiotherapy service is also given to senior members and disable patients of the university family. A Homeo Unit, consisting of 6 Homeo doctors, provides treatment and medicines free of cost to the students, teachers and staffs and their family members.
There are some cafeteria in the area of University of Dhaka. Some of them are historically important.The Madhur Canteen is not only a cafeteria, but also a place of historical interest of Bangladesh.
The Dhaka University Ground is the official stadium of the University of Dhaka. It hosts many inter-collegiate sports tournaments at inter-city, provincial and national levels.
University of Dhaka has transport services for students. Though the number of the bus is not sufficient enough for the vast student community it is a great service to students.[1]
All the buses start normally from the bus depot near Register building. The bus schedule for different part of the city can be found in the bus depot. The service is always on run even on university holidays, to help those students who come to university to do library work or to consult teachers.