Panjab University, established in 1882 in Lahore and supported by public funding, is among India’s earliest universities. After Partition, it was relocated to its current campus in Chandigarh (1958–59), where it continues its tradition of academic excellence. The university’s legacy includes distinguished alumni such as former President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma and former Prime Ministers Shri I.K. Gujral and Dr. Manmohan Singh, as well as Nobel laureates, scientists, public figures, artists, and athletes.

The Chandigarh campus houses 73 teaching and research departments, institutes, and centres, alongside four independent research chairs. The university network extends to 189 affiliated and constituent colleges across Punjab and Chandigarh, and regional centres in Muktsar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, and Kauni. Panjab University has been awarded an ‘A++’ grade by NAAC (2023) and secured the top rank in the ARIIA innovation rankings (2021). The university is a partner in prominent global high-energy physics programs at Fermilab (USA), CERN (Switzerland), and KEK (Japan), and has MoUs with leading institutions in the UK, Australia, Thailand, the USA, and others. It also collaborates with premier Indian institutes such as IARI, GBPUAT, HFRI, IIT Roorkee, PGIMER, IMTECH, and CSIO. Through initiatives like RUSA-supported Pre-Incubation and Skill Development Centres, BioNEST-PU (with BIRAC), and the DST-funded Technology Enabling Centre, Panjab University promotes research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and strong industry-academia partnerships.