Many leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Anandshankar Dhruv, Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar and Kasturbhai Lalbhai recommended formation of the university in the 1920s, and the university was established soon after the independence of India. Gujarat University was evolved out of Ahmedabad Education Society, a major educational organisation of Gujarat then. Gujarat University was formed under the Gujarat University Act of the Government of Gujarat in 1949 as a teaching and affiliating university. It was established under the recommendation of a committee headed by Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar for rearrangement of university education in Bombay State. Many universities were established later which resulted in decrease in jurisdiction of Gujarat University. It is an affiliating university at the under-graduate level and a teaching one at the post-graduate level. Close to three-hundred thousand students study at university in the courses, faculties and affiliated institutes. The university caters for external as well as enrolled students. Affiliates include 285 colleges, 35 approved institutions and 20 recognised institutions, as of 2014.Gujarat University Ranks 1st in Gujarat and 26th in India for the Category: "Public State Universities" under the prestigious Outlook-ICare India University Ranking 2019
Organisation
Organisation of the university is based on the Gujarat University Act, 1949. The authorities of the university are:
Executive Council: governs activities at university
Academic Council: maintains and prescribes standards of instructions, education and examinations
The university functions in a democratic way by Senate which is elected every year by faculties and students. Teachers of the colleges, departments and schools are represented in on the Academic and Executive Councils. Office bearers of the university are:
The Chancellor
The Vice-Chancellor, who is the academic and the executive head of the university
Former Vice-Chancellors of the University residing in the State
Registrar, who is administrative head of the university
University Librarian
Directors of Schools
Heads of the Departments
The teaching and non-teaching staff are represented by their unions.
Campus and university jurisdiction
The campus of the university, located in the Navarangpura area of Ahmedabad, is spread over. Affiliated colleges and institutes are spread across the Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Kheda district. In March 2012, the university started a campus radio service named GURU on 90.8 MHz, which was first kind of it in the state of Gujarat and fifth in India.
The university campus is closed from 23 March 2020, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown. Recently, the university announced to held exams from 2 July 2020 to 13 July, but the university has quashed the order and postponed the exams until things go back to normalcy.
