University of Lucknow

University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is a public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. LU's main campus is located at Badshah Bagh, University Road area of the city with a second campus at Jankipuram. It is the largest state university of Uttar Pradesh. It is also the only public university of the state to offer both on-campus and online programmes of study.
LU is a teaching, residential and affiliating university, organized into 556 colleges, 10 faculties with 23 institutes & centres, located throughout the city and other surrounding areas. The University has jurisdiction over colleges in five districts: Lucknow, Raebareli, Hardoi, Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri. The university is opening a third campus in Sitapur district where vocational and skill development courses will be offered.
The University of Lucknow is the only state university of Uttar Pradesh to be awarded "Category-I" university status by the UGC for excellence in teaching and research. It is also the first public university in the State of Uttar Pradesh to be accredited with A++ status by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.
The British, during the colonial period, transformed the Indian educational system, transitioning Indian education from the traditional Gurukul system to schools, colleges, and universities. Educational institutions established during the colonial period are still operational today, and Lucknow University is one of them.
In the summer of 1862, the first Viceroy of British India, Charles John Canning, breathed his last in London. For his loyalty during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, commonly referred to as the Mutiny, he was rewarded with a taluk (subdivision of a district). In his posthumous memory, a group of his loyal talukdars in Awadh decided to donate eight annas (half a rupee) from their annual income to start an educational institution. Just two years later, in 1864, Canning High School was established, starting with 200 students in two rooms of a mansion in the narrow lanes of Khayaliganj, Aminabad.
Canning College, founded in the late 19th century, played a crucial role in strengthening the relationship between the local aristocracy, known as talukdars, and the British administration in Oudh (now Uttar Pradesh). The idea for the college was first proposed by Maharaja Man Singh in 1882 as a tribute to the late Lord Canning, the former Viceroy of India. Conceived as a memorial, it was envisioned as the first institution of its kind in the region, with a mission to educate the youth, enhance the nation's resources, and combat ignorance through knowledge. The college was named after Lord Canning, who served as Governor-General from 1856 to 1862.
Lucknow University traces its origins to Canning College, which was established in 1864 as a prominent educational institution in Lucknow. Initially supported by the talukdars (local landowners), the college emerged as a significant center of learning in India. The land for the college was part of the 700-hectare Awadh Estates granted to Raja Sir Randhir Singh of Kapurthala by the British after the 1857 rebellion.
In the early days, Canning College had no building of its own and led a peripatetic existence, with the scene of its activity periodically changing as one building or another proved unsuitable or insufficient. During the first twelve years, the College shifted from its original abode, the Aminuddaulah Palace, to several places, including the Lal Baradari. Eventually, it was housed in its own building at Kaisar Bagh, which is now known as the Rai Umanath Bali Auditorium and Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (formerly the Bhatkhande Music Institute), is situated there.
However, the growing demand for additional space prompted another relocation. The provincial government came to its aid and agreed to sell the Provincial Museum building to the College for Rs. 2,10,000.The high school was reorganized as Canning College in 1866. The foundation stone for a new building was laid by Viceroy Sir John Lawrence on 13 November1867, but construction was not completed until 1878. On 15 November of that year, Sir George Couper, Lieutenant-Governor of the North Western Provinces and Chief Commissioner of Oudh, formally opened the new building. For well over three decades, Canning College remained in the Kaisar Bagh building, but the site was scarcely suitable for a large residential institution.
Consequently, the College Management sought a more spacious site, and the provincial government agreed to purchase the college building for Rs. 2,10,000 to house the Provincial Museum (now known as the State Museum, Lucknow).
Canning College continued to function as a recognized institution under the University of Calcutta for 20 years, from 1867 until it came under the jurisdiction of the University of Allahabad in 1888.
In 1905, the Government handed over to Canning College the extensive walled garden of about 90 acres located north of the river Gomti, known as Badshah Bagh. This garden was originally a garden house of the glorious Nasir-ud-din Haider, Padshah-e-Awadh, the second King of Awadh (1827-1837). After the pacification of Awadh, it became the Lucknow residence of the Maharaja of Kapurthala, who had purchased Badshah Bagh from the British government at an auction for a nominal price of Rs. 35,000 after the Mutiny (freedom struggle). The Maharaja later leased 90 acres of the garden land to Canning College for just ₹3 as annual rent. Some remains in the garden, such as the old royal building Lal Baradari, the tall and beautiful gates, and the canal, remind us of its historicity.
GN Chakravarti, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor of Lucknow University on 16 December 1920. The first academic session began in July 1921, and the first convocation was held in October 1922.
The implementation of the new building scheme was made possible due to a special grant from the Government, proceeds from the sale of the old building at Kaiserbagh, and the munificence of Maharaja Sir Bhagwati Singh of Balrampur. The construction plans were entrusted to the well-known architect Sir Swinton Jacob, who prepared an impressive design in the Indo-Saracenic style.
The idea of starting a University at Lucknow was first put forward by Raja Sir Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan, Khan Bahadur, K.C.I.E. of Mahmudabad, who contributed an article to the columns of "The Pioneer", urging the foundation of a University at Lucknow. A little later Sir Harcourt Butler, K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E, was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces. The first step to bring the University into being was taken when a General Committee of educationists and persons interested in university education appointed for the purpose, met in conference at Government House, Lucknow, on 10 November 1919.
At this meeting Sir Harcourt Butler, who was in the chair, outlined the proposed scheme for the new university. A discussion followed, and it was resolved that Lucknow University should be a Unitary, Teaching, and Residential University of the kind recommended by the Calcutta University Mission, 1919, and should consist of Faculties of Arts, including Oriental Studies, Science, Medicine, Law, etc. A number of other resolutions was also passed and six sub-committees were formed, five of them to consider questions connected with the University and one to consider the arrangements for providing Intermediate Education. These sub-committees met during the months of November and December 1919, and January 1920; and the reports of their meetings were laid before a second Conference of the General Committee at Lucknow on 26 January 1920; their proceedings were considered and discussed, and the reports of five of the sub-committees were, subject to certain amendments, confirmed. The question of incorporation of the Medical College in the University, however, was for the time being left open for expression of opinion. At the close of the Conference donations of one lakh each from the Raja of Mahmudabad and Jahangirabad were announced.
The resolutions of the first Conference together with the recommendations of the sub-committees as confirmed at the second Conference were laid before a meeting of the Allahabad University on 12 March 1920, and it was decided to appoint a sub-committee to consider them and report to the Senate. The report of the sub-committee was considered at an extraordinary meeting of the Senate on 7 August 1920, at which the Chancellor presided, and the scheme was generally approved. In the meantime the difficulty of incorporating the Medical College in the University had been removed. During the month of April 1920, Mr. C.F. de la Fosse, the then Director of Public Instruction, United Provinces, drew up a Draft Bill for the establishment of the Lucknow University which was introduced in the Legislative Council on 12 August 1920. It was then referred to a Select Committee which suggested a number of amendments, the most important being the liberalising of the constitution of the various University bodies and the inclusion of a Faculty of Commerce; this Bill, in an amended form, was passed by the Council on 8 October 1920. The Lucknow University Act, No. V of 1920, received the assent of the Lieutenant-Governor on 1 November and the Governor-General on 25 November 1920, establishing the University of Lucknow. Following this, the Canning College was merged into the University, integrating its resources and legacy into the broader educational framework.
The Court of the University was constituted in March 1921, with the first meeting held on 21 March 1921, presided over by the Chancellor. The other university authorities, including the Executive Council, Academic Council, and various faculties, were established in August and September 1921. Statutory and non-statutory committees and boards were formed over time.
On 17 July 1921, the University began formal and informal teaching, with classes in the Faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce, and Law conducted at Canning College and those for the Faculty of Medicine held at King George's Medical College and Hospital . The Canning College was officially handed over to the University on 1 July 1922, although its facilities had been made available to the University for teaching and residence before this date. Additionally, the King George's Medical College and Hospital were transferred to the University on 1 March 1921.
The development of the University occurred in stages, with the following three colleges providing the foundational structure and support:
The Lucknow University Act, 1920, was later repealed by the Uttar Pradesh State Universities Act, 1973, which redefined the governance and administration of universities in the state. The Canning College Act, 1922 (Uttar Pradesh Act No. 7 of 1922) also played a role in this educational evolution.
The vice-chancellors of University of Lucknow are as follows:
In the early days, the Canning College had no building of its own, and the scene of its activity periodically changed as one or other building proved unsuitable or insufficient. During the first twelve years, the college was shifted from its original location, the Aminuddaulah Palace, to a number of places, one after another, including the Lal Baradari. At last, it was housed in its own building at Kaisar Bagh. The foundation stone of this new building was laid by the Viceroy, Sir John Lawrence, as far back as 13 November 1867, but the work of construction was not completed until 1878. On 15 November of that year, Sir George Couper, Lt. Commissioner of Avadh, formally opened the new building.
The University has three main libraries, apart from each department having its own. The Central Library of the university known as the Tagore Library, established in 1941, is one of the richest libraries in the country. It was designed by Sir Walter Burley Griffin, the designer of Australian capital city of Canberra. It has 5.25 lakh books, 50,000 journals and approximately 10,000 copies of approved Ph.D. and D.Litt. dissertations. The Cooperative Lending library was established in 1966 to lend books to economically under privileged graduate and post graduate students for the whole session to be restored only after their examinations are over.
The university also provides residential facilities to teachers, students and non-teaching staff. There are overall 18 hostels for boys and girls in the university. Kailash Hall and Nivedita Hall can house nearly 600 female students.
During the past 20 years, there has been an extension of the University Campus near the Institute of Engineering and Technology.
The NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) ranked it 23rd in Law and 97th overall in India in 2024.
26°51′56″N 80°56′11″E﻿ / ﻿26.86556°N 80.93639°E﻿ / 26.86556; 80.93639