BRAC University

BRAC University
Name	BRAC University
Established	2001
Type	Private
City	Mohammadpur, Dhaka
Country	Bangladesh
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	BRAC

BRAC University is a private university located in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, founded by the BRAC development organisation in 2001. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across liberal arts, sciences, business, and engineering with connections to institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and University of Toronto. Its governance and strategic partnerships have involved entities like United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

History

BRAC University was established following initiatives by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of BRAC, and launched amid dialogues with policymakers from Ministry of Education (Bangladesh), donors from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and advisors with links to Yale University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and Princeton University. Early development involved collaborations with BRAC Bank, Grameen Bank, and civil society actors such as Aga Khan Development Network and Oxfam. The university's formative years featured curriculum design influenced by models used at London School of Economics, National University of Singapore, University of Melbourne, University of British Columbia, and Peking University.

Campus and Facilities

The Mohammadpur campus includes academic blocks, residential halls, and recreation spaces situated near landmarks like Dhanmondi Lake, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre, Shahbagh, Dhaka University neighborhood, and transport links to Shahjalal International Airport and Dhaka Cantonment. Facilities comprise libraries with collections resembling holdings at British Library, Library of Congress, and archives supported through exchanges with National Library of Bangladesh, specialized laboratories modeled on counterparts at MIT Media Lab, CERN-adjacent research centers, and clinical training spaces partnered with hospitals such as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and Square Hospital. Student amenities include sports grounds used for Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, indoor courts similar to those at Bangabandhu National Stadium, and arts venues hosting performances linked to Shilpakala Academy, National Theatre], Bangladesh, and visiting ensembles from Royal Shakespeare Company.

Academics

Academic programs span faculties and departments offering curricula informed by syllabi and accreditation norms seen at Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, Royal Society of Chemistry, and American Bar Association-style legal training. Degree offerings include Bachelor and Master programs drawing on pedagogies from Harvard Business School, Wharton School, INSEAD, Kellogg School of Management, and technical training comparable to Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and California Institute of Technology. Academic units maintain links with professional bodies such as Bangladesh Bar Council, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, and international partners including World Health Organization, UNICEF, and UNESCO.

Research and Centers

Research centers at the university focus on development studies, public health, urban development, data science, and human rights with collaborations involving Brookings Institution, Chatham House, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The institution hosts specialized centers modeled on Harvard Kennedy School policy labs, technology incubators aligned with Startup Bangladesh, and climate resilience projects linked to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Green Climate Fund, and ICLEI. Research outputs have been disseminated through conferences with Association of Commonwealth Universities, journals such as The Lancet, Nature, and Science', and through partnerships with think tanks like Centre for Policy Dialogue and BRAC Institute of Governance and Development.

Student Life and Organizations

Student life encompasses cultural clubs, debating societies, volunteer groups, and sports teams that engage with events like Ekushey Book Fair, Bengal Classical Music Festival, Dhaka International Film Festival, Inter-University Debating Championship, and national competitions organized by Bangladesh Olympiad Committee. Organizations include units that collaborate with Rotary International, Lions Clubs International, Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, and student chapters resembling IEEE Student Branch, ACM Student Chapter, Model United Nations associations, and entrepreneurial networks linked to Ashoka and Empact365.

Admissions and Rankings

Admissions procedures attract applicants from across Bangladesh and the region, assessed via tests and interviews comparable to practices at University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, National University of Singapore, University of Melbourne, and scholarship schemes similar to those offered by Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and Fulbright Program. In national and regional rankings the university has been evaluated alongside institutions such as University of Dhaka, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, North South University, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, and international benchmarking against QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education, and Webometrics.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty include professionals and public figures who have taken roles in organizations like BRAC, World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, Asian Development Bank, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bangladesh), and media outlets such as The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, Al Jazeera, and BBC. Faculty collaborations and visiting scholars have included academics affiliated with Columbia University, University of Oxford, Yale University, Stanford University, and researchers from International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.

Category:Private universities in Bangladesh