New Budget: University-Wise Allocation Breakdown

he University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh has officially approved a consolidated budget of Tk 12,300.40 crore for the commission and 58 public universities for the upcoming 2026–27 fiscal year. The landmark financial framework was finalized during the 178th plenary commission meeting chaired by UGC Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed.

Out of the total approved package, Tk 12,001.82 crore has been specifically earmarked for the 58 public universities, reflecting a net increase of Tk 1,497.83 crore compared to the revised budget allocations of the preceding fiscal year. Additionally, the operational and administrative expenses for the UGC itself have been fixed at Tk 298.58 crore.

The financial architecture for public universities balances immediate administrative costs with long-term infrastructure expansion. The allocation is structured into two main expenditure lines:

• Operational (Revenue) Expenses: Tk 7,428.43 crore has been allocated to cover day-to-day operations, including faculty salaries, administrative overheads, and institutional maintenance across the campuses.

• Development Expenditures: Tk 4,573.39 crore has been channeled to fund 43 ongoing priority development and infrastructure construction projects across various university campuses.

Continuing historical trends, the University of Dhaka (DU) has captured the lion's share of the operational revenue budget. For the 2026-27 fiscal year, Dhaka University received the highest single revenue allocation, totaling Tk 949.36 crore, to sustain its academic and logistical footprint.

A defining feature of the FY2026-27 financial strategy is the formal structural consolidation of higher education research funds to eliminate institutional duplication. Following an inter-ministerial tripartite review on the Medium-Term Budget Framework, a strategic shift was implemented:

• Research Fund Consolidation: Tk 200 crore previously distributed directly under individual university research headers has now been centrally consolidated into the UGC’s primary ledger.

• Total Research and Fellowship Pool: This integration pushes the UGC's standalone research allocation to Tk 226 crore. Combined with an additional Tk 12 crore dedicated to foreign fellowships and scholarship programs, the total specialized academic development pool stands at Tk 238 crore.

Continuing historical trends, the country's oldest and largest conventional institutions captured the largest shares of this operational funding. Dhaka University leads the institutional allocations with a standalone revenue budget of Tk 949.36 crore, followed by Rajshahi University at Tk 543.59 crore, Chittagong University at Tk 503.47 crore, and Jahangirnagar University at Tk 348.70 crore.

Among specialized engineering and agricultural institutions, Bangladesh Agricultural University secured Tk 352.12 crore, while Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology was allocated Tk 280.48 crore.

Other major technical campuses received substantial operational support, with Khulna University of Engineering and Technology getting Tk 127.45 crore, Noakhali Science and Technology University obtaining Tk 118.34 crore, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University receiving Tk 115.72 crore, and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology assigned Tk 110.40 crore.

Additionally, Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology secured Tk 97.06 crore, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology received Tk 96.33 crore, and Bangladesh University of Textiles was allotted Tk 54.55 crore.

Large-scale affiliating and distance-learning institutions also retained massive operational ledgers to support their expansive academic networks. National University, which oversees tertiary-level colleges nationwide, was granted Tk 481.47 crore, while Bangladesh Open University received Tk 273.32 crore.

In the medical and healthcare education sector, Bangladesh Medical University was allocated Tk 179.26 crore to sustain its academic and clinical framework. Meanwhile, regional medical universities received baseline operational support, with Chittagong Medical University getting Tk 13.35 crore and Rajshahi Medical University assigned Tk 13.07 crore.

General and specialized public universities across different districts saw balanced fiscal distributions to cover their day-to-day administrative and faculty overheads. Islamic University received Tk 188.40 crore, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology secured Tk 186.66 crore, Jagannath University was granted Tk 186.61 crore, and Khulna University obtained Tk 182.92 crore.

Furthermore, Bangladesh University of Professionals was allocated Tk 149.33 crore, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University received Tk 142.89 crore, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University got Tk 133.41 crore, and Patuakhali Science and Technology University was assigned Tk 121.30 crore.

The remaining allocations were distributed among newer, regional, and specialized institutions to foster equitable higher education growth across the country. These include Gazipur Agricultural University at Tk 102.82 crore, Jessore University of Science and Technology at Tk 98.79 crore, Sylhet Agricultural University at Tk 89.83 crore, Begum Rokeya University at Tk 82.81 crore, Comilla University at Tk 79.72 crore, and Gopalganj Science and Technology University at Tk 78.73 crore.

Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University received Tk 75.20 crore, Pabna University of Science and Technology got Tk 68.54 crore, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences secured Tk 68.36 crore, and Barisal University was allotted Tk 62.88 crore.

Smaller baseline and recently established specialized institutions were provided focused revenue pools to cover initial phase operations. Islamic Arabic University received Tk 51.95 crore, Bangladesh Maritime University was granted Tk 48.53 crore, Aviation and Aerospace University got Tk 48.20 crore, and Khulna Agricultural University secured Tk 30.75 crore.

Dhaka Central University was assigned Tk 24.90 crore, followed by Jamalpur Science and Technology University at Tk 21.90 crore, Rabindra University, Bangladesh at Tk 21.16 crore, and University of Frontier Technology Bangladesh at Tk 19.88 crore.

The lowest tier of funding was channeled toward the newest landscape additions and niche medical centers currently developing their campus infrastructures. Rangamati Science and Technology University received Tk 18.46 crore, Habiganj Agricultural University got Tk 17.50 crore, Kurigram Agricultural University was allocated Tk 15.31 crore, and Netrokona University secured Tk 14.74 crore.

Additionally, Kishoreganj University obtained Tk 11.03 crore, Naogaon University was granted Tk 9.76 crore, Pirojpur Science and Technology University received Tk 9.67 crore, and Thakurgaon University got Tk 9.12 crore.

Sunamganj Science and Technology University was allocated Tk 8.73 crore, Meherpur University secured Tk 8.61 crore, Khulna Medical University received Tk 8.17 crore, Bogura University of Science and Technology got Tk 7.18 crore, and Chandpur Science and Technology University was granted Tk 6.50 crore. Sylhet Medical University received the smallest baseline operational allocation, fixed at Tk 0.63 crore.

Disclaimer: The figures above are close approximations of the official allocations. For readability, decimal values have been rounded to the nearest hundredth, which may result in minor differences in lakh and thousand conversions.