By Kushagra Tiwari

Ahmedabad: Gujarat University spent over ₹177.08 crore during the 2023-24 financial year, according to data submitted by the institution to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). Of this, ₹41.89 crore was allocated to capital expenditure on academic activities and resources (excluding buildings), while ₹135.18 crore went towards operational costs.

Operational expenditure included salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff, maintenance of academic infrastructure, and expenses on seminars, conferences, and workshops. Notably, ₹81.64 crore was spent on staff salaries alone.

The data also show that Gujarat University has a total of 3,610 students including 2,376 females and 1,234 males which means the varsity incurred an average expenditure of ₹4.9 lakh per student.

National Comparisons: JNU and Manipal Academy

In comparison, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), ranked second nationally, had 4,914 students in 2023 and spent about ₹655.6 crore. This included ₹39.19 crore on capital expenditure and ₹616.41 crore on operational expenses, averaging ₹13.33 lakh per student.

Another top-ranking central university, the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Manipal), with a strength of 25,179 students, reported ₹352.83 crore in capital expenditure and ₹2,143.37 crore in operational expenditure for 2023-24. With total spending of ₹2,496.21 crore, the per-student expenditure was around ₹9.9 lakh.

If we compare the three institutions, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) spent nearly 172% more per student than Gujarat University, while the Manipal Academy of Higher Education spent about 102% more per student in 2023-24.

Gujarat’s Premier Management Institute: IIM Ahmedabad, GNLU

Among premier institutions in Gujarat, IIM Ahmedabad, which also ranked first in the management category across the nation, had 896 students. It spent ₹15.18 crore on capital and ₹353.45 crore on operational costs, totaling ₹368.63 crore, which translates to an average spending of ₹41.14 lakh per student.

In the engineering category, IIT Gandhinagar reported 1,495 students. Its total expenditure stood at ₹207.91 crore, with ₹30.05 crore on capital and ₹177.66 crore on operational costs, averaging ₹13.90 lakh per student.

SVNIT Surat, another top engineering institute, had 4,187 students. It spent ₹54.03 crore on capital and ₹165.04 crore on operational expenditure, totaling ₹219.09 crore. The per-student expenditure worked out to ₹5.23 lakh.

Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) reported an expenditure of ₹47.35 crore in 2022-23 for its 1,073 students, averaging ₹4.41 lakh per student.

Agricultural Universities: Navsari and Anand

Among the two agricultural universities located in Navsari and Anand, Navsari Agricultural University spent ₹306.45 crore in 2022-23, including ₹46.09 crore on capital and ₹260.35 crore on operational costs, for its 2,184 students, leading to an expense of ₹14.03 lakh incurred per student.

Anand Agricultural University, with 2,369 students, reported total spending of ₹294.42 crore, including ₹10.51 crore on capital and ₹283.91 crore on operational costs. Its per-student expenditure stood at ₹12.43 lakh.

The Union government on September 4 released the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings of the country’s top colleges this year, and several Gujarat institutions such as IIT Gandhinagar, IIM Ahmedabad, Gujarat University, PDEU, and SVNIT have shone in these rankings. DeshGujarat