Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) is a state public university located in Nagpur, in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the oldest universities in India and serves as a major affiliating, teaching and research institution for the eastern districts of Maharashtra.
| Name | Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University |
|---|---|
| Former name | University of Nagpur (Nagpur University) |
| Type | State public university |
| Location | Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| Established | 1923 |
| Renamed | 2005, after Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj |
| Language | English, Marathi, Hindi |
| Affiliation | University Grants Commission (UGC) |
The university was established in 1923 as the University of Nagpur, making it one of the early modern universities of central India. At its founding it was an affiliating university, with colleges spread across what was then the Central Provinces and Berar. Over the decades, its jurisdiction was reshaped as new universities were carved out of its territory to serve other regions.
In 2005, the institution was renamed in honour of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj, the Marathi saint-poet and social reformer from Vidarbha who is widely revered for his Gramgeeta and his work on rural reconstruction and communal harmony.
RTMNU functions as both a teaching and an affiliating university. It conducts post-graduate teaching and research on its own campuses while affiliating a large number of undergraduate and post-graduate colleges in and around Nagpur. The university offers programmes across faculties that traditionally include:
The administrative and academic activities are spread across multiple campuses in Nagpur, including the historic main campus and the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Educational Campus (Amravati Road), which houses many of the university's post-graduate departments.
The university is governed under the Maharashtra Public Universities Act. Its principal authorities include the Chancellor (the Governor of Maharashtra), the Vice-Chancellor as the chief executive and academic officer, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and statutory bodies such as the Senate, Management Council, Academic Council and Board of Studies.
RTMNU is the principal higher education hub of the Nagpur region and one of the largest universities in Maharashtra by number of affiliated colleges and student enrolment. It has historically produced graduates who have gone on to prominent roles in law, civil services, science, literature and public life in India. Several alumni and faculty associated with the institution in its earlier decades contributed to the freedom movement, constitutional law and the early scientific establishment of independent India.