Delhi University, BITS Pilani, Nalanda, and Chandigarh University: These are the new campuses for 4 institutes

NEW DELHI: Four institutes across India have inaugurated new campuses in the past year. While Delhi University laid the foundation stone of Veer Savarkar College at Najafgarh in south-west Delhi in January 2025, BITs Pilani opened its fifth campus in Mumbai Metropolitan region, near Kalyan, in February last year.

Nalanda University, founded in the fifth century and revived in 2014, got a new campus in Rajgir, Bihar, in June 2024. Chandigarh University will also be setting up an artificial intelligence-enabled campus near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, with classes scheduled to start from the 2025-26 academic year.

The new campuses aim to add to the overall expansion plan of these institutes, many of whom have their other campuses functioning already.

Delhi University: Increased seats, expansion

Delhi University aims to get more students with diverse departments and buildings.

Yogesh Singh, vice chancellor, of Delhi University said, “With a constant intake of around 70,000 seats at undergraduate level for several years, Delhi University in the next one or two years is finally going to augment the intake.”

An allocation of over Rs 1,600 crore has been made for infrastructure expansion which includes an academic block at Dwarka Sector 22, another college at Fatehpur Beri in South Delhi and a DU new east campus at Surajmal Vihar, Delhi.

“In the east campus, new courses will be started and some part of the law faculty will also be shifted. As it is closer to the district court it will be helpful for students. Once these campuses and colleges come up it will open the door for more students. Some land was given to us in the 1990s. We couldn't do anything in the last 25-30 years, but now the time is right,” said Singh.

Other than the new campuses, a new faculty of computer technology building is coming up at the North Campus of the university, to house BTech students. A new Institution of Eminence building is coming up at Maurice Nagar in North Delhi and the computer centre is being revamped, among others.

BITS Pilani, Nalanda, Chandigarh University campuses

BITS Mumbai campus, opened its doors last year and enrolled around 1,000 students. The institute aims to increase its enrollment to 2,000 in the next few years. The campus has three schools – School of Management, Law School and Design School.

New BITS Pilani Kalyan Campus corridor (Image Source: Official)

Arun Khetan, chief financial officer of BITS Pilani and chief operating officer of BITS Pilani’s Mumbai Campus, said: “BITS is a premier engineering and science institute. The BITS Mumbai campus has been established to ensure transdisciplinary education to students and provide world-class education in the fields of management, law and design."

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The admissions of the institute is currently open for a two-year MBA programme, five-year integrated BA LLB and BBA LLB programmes and four years BDesign (Honours) degree programme.

This apart, the new campus of Nalanda University has six schools – the School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions; the School of Historical Studies; the School of Ecology and Environmental Studies; and the School of Sustainable Development and Management. Built on 455.19 acres and at a cost of Rs 1,749 crore , the university campus houses 24 large buildings. The foundation stone of the new campus was laid in 2016, the university website stated.

Chandigarh University’s Lucknow campus will provide 43 artificial intelligence (AI)-augmented multidisciplinary programmes in six streams: business administration, engineering, humanities, life sciences and health, legal studies and liberal arts.

Jai Inder Singh Sandhu, managing director, Chandigarh University said in a release, “Chandigarh University Lucknow is set to play a key role in upskilling Indian youth, preparing them to become the next generation of global technology and business leaders. In collaboration with industry partners, the university will offer skill-based, employment-focused training in emerging fields such as AI, machine learning (ML), data science and data analytics.”

Chandigarh University's new Unnao campus. (Image Source: Official)

The institute recently partnered with 10 global industry giants, including Google, Microsoft, IBM, SAS, Rabbitt AI, Quick Heal, KPMG, PWC, NSE and Grant Thornton, before starting its first academic session to offer industry collaborative programmes in emerging fields.

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BITS Mumbai, Nalanda University: Digital-first, zero-waste

BITS Mumbai campus has a digital-first approach with a zero-discharge system featuring 100% recycled water utilisation, energy-saving lighting systems, and solar power to minimise carbon footprint. The residential campus offers fully airconditioned academic buildings and hostels along with a dining hall, sports block, shopping centre, indoor/outdoor games, big sports ground, faculty housing and lush green landscape.

New Nalanda University Campus in Rajgir, Bihar (Image Source: Careers360)

Similarly, the new campus of Nalanda University is a carbon-neutral and zero-waste campus. It has facilities like a fully-air conditioned library and cafeteria, laboratory for students of ecology and environment studies, a primary healthcare centre, dining facilities, a residence hall and an international convection centre. The university includes students from different countries.