Chandigarh University ranked India’s No. 1 private varsity

Chandigarh University’s national and global profile has brought renewed opportunities for students from Himachal Pradesh, with the institution once again ranked India’s No. 1 private university in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026. Highlighting the achievement at a press conference, Prof (Dr) RS Bawa, Adviser to the Chancellor, said CU now stands among the top 2% universities globally in the QS World Rankings 2026 and figures among India’s top 20 in NIRF 2025.

Prof Bawa emphasised CU’s strong placement ecosystem, which has particularly benefited students from the hill state. In the ongoing 2025-26 academic session alone, 6,477 job offers have already been rolled out, while the previous year saw over 9,500 offers from 1,100 national and international companies. Notably, Himachal contributed 580 placed students this year, including 29 from Mandi. Engineering student Shanya Trehan from Himachal bagged the highest domestic package of Rs 51 lakh at Microsoft, a highlight of CU’s placement success. Last year’s top international offer touched Rs 1.74 crore.

Scholarships also remain a major draw for Himachali students. With a massive annual scholarship budget of Rs 250 crore under CUCET-2025, CU has supported 1.30 lakh students since 2012, including 4,306 beneficiaries from Himachal this year alone. Himachal also led in defence scholarships in 2025, with 105 recipients among 5,723 awardees over 13 years.

CU’s research strength — 20,000 publications, 5,500+ patent filings and over 150 student startups — is backed by 30 advanced labs and 32 corporate-established Centres of Excellence. International exposure is boosted through 525 global tie-ups, while sports excellence earned CU the historic MAKA Trophy in 2024.