DU leads Bangladesh in QS Asia rankings, ranks 16th in South Asia

Dhaka University has retained its position as the top university in Bangladesh in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, securing 136th place among Asian universities and 16th among those in South Asia.The UK-based international higher education and research organisation Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) published the rankings on November 3, 2026. DU also held the top position among Bangladeshi universities in last year's rankings.According to a press release from DU, a total of 1,722 universities from 26 countries across Asia have been included in this year's rankings. The University of Hong Kong secured the first position, followed by Peking University of China in second place.DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam expressed his satisfaction over the university's position in the international rankings."This position in the international rankings is a matter of joy and pride for us. Consistently retaining the top position among Bangladeshi universities is recognition of the collective efforts of our teachers, students, researchers and all concerned," he said.However, he said the university's goal was not merely to maintain its ranking but to further strengthen its position internationally through improvements in the quality of education and research.The Vice-Chancellor said enriching the academic and research environment, expanding research facilities, strengthening international collaborations and creating opportunities for students to develop globally competitive skills were among the university's key priorities.He also stressed the importance of cooperation from teachers, students, alumni and all concerned to achieve these goals.The QS Asia University Rankings assess universities based on several indicators, including academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, research quality and impact, the proportion of staff holding PhD degrees, international research collaboration, and the number of international faculty members and students.The bench of Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi and Justice Fatema Anwar issued the rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Lala Rukh Selim, a senior professor of the department.Lala Rukh’ lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua argued in the High Court that the university authorities violated the statutory provisions and seniority rules in appointing Kaoser Hassan to the post.The court further asked the university authorities to explain why they should not be directed to consider appointing Lala Rukh, as chairman being a senior professor of the department, in accordance with Section 43 of the First Statute of the Dhaka University Order, 1973.The court asked the University of Dhaka, its vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor (administration), acting registrar and the newly appointed chairman to respond to the rule within four weeks.The university’s registrar (acting) issued the appointment letter on September 21, 2026, following a decision of the university authorities.Professor Lala Rukh had earlier served as chairman of the department from January 1, 2013, till December 31, 2015. She joined the department as an assistant professor in 1999 and was subsequently promoted to associate professor and professor. She was also upgraded to grade-I professor in September 2025, with retrospective effect from July 1, 2018.After learning about the appointment, she submitted a representation to the university registrar on September 21, 2026, seeking cancellation of the appointment and her consideration for the chairmanship under the relevant statutory provision.Applications for admission to the undergraduate program of Dhaka University (DU) for the 2026-2027 academic year will start from 12 noon on November 11. Applications can be submitted online until 11:59 pm on November 25.This information was announced in a press release sent from the university's public relations office today.The press release said that the science unit exam will be held on December 12, the arts, law and social science unit exam on December 19, the fine arts unit exam on December 22, the business education unit exam on December 26, and the IBA unit exam on December 5.The IBA unit exam will be held from 10 am to 12 pm. The other four units will be held from 11 am to 12:30 pm. The notification further said that the admission tests for the other three units, except for the Fine Arts and IBA units, will be held in eight divisional cities besides Dhaka. The notification said that in the admission test, 60 marks of multiple choice (MCQ) and 40 marks of written test will be conducted in units other than Fine Arts Unit and IBA Unit. 40 marks of MCQ and 60 marks of drawing test will be held in Fine Arts Unit and 70 marks of MCQ and 30 marks of descriptive test will be held in IBA Unit.The notification said that it has been decided to prepare separate question papers for English medium students in the science unit according to the relevant curriculum.The announcement also said that classes for the undergraduate program for the 2026-2027 academic year will begin on March 28, 2027.