One of India’s oldest state universities, dating to 1857, University of Mumbai is still run from the original Fort campus which retains its gothic-style architecture and the hallmark Rajabai clock tower. It took on a federal role post-independence, with responsibility for colleges in the city then known as Bombay and its environs, and changed its name in line with the city in 1996.
Its main campus is now a 93-hectare site in suburban Kalina, with sub-campuses at Ratnagiri and Thane, while a huge network of affiliated institutions accounts for enormous amounts of academic activity, not least in disciplines like medicine and engineering.
All of this makes it one of the largest universities in the world, with more than 700,000 students enrolled across the university and around 800 affiliates. In 2019-20 it received more than 200,000 applications for places, affiliates accounting for another 660,000.
Recent trends have seen a rise in applications for arts and mass media courses and a decline in science, with the marks demanded in 2019 for admission to arts at the affiliated DG Ruparal College of the Arts, Science and Commerce reckoned the highest ever. Bachelor of commerce remains the most popular course, completed by more than 50,000 students in 2019.
While getting the BComm papers marked in 30 days was hailed as a mark of efficiency, the university has sought to reduce the weight of administration by encouraging well-organised affiliates to seek autonomy. Seventeen institutions, including the trio which formed Homi Bhabha State University, became independent in 2018-9, but at the same time six new law colleges received affiliation for 2019-20 .
