Established in 1993, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) is the leading private university in Bangladesh with an explicit focus on research and global partnerships. With a current enrollment of around 10,000 at undergraduate and graduate levels, more than 450 highly-qualified faculty members, 47% of whom have PhD degrees, and an alumni strength of close to 14,000, IUB is trying to ensure education all to promote the national agenda of sustainable inclusive development. The IUB campus sprawls over 3 acres, has an amphitheater, dedicated state-of-the-art laboratories for life, environmental and social sciences, and engineering. There are 95 multimedia classrooms that are fully-equipped for both physical and online classes. The IUB campus also hosts an auditorium, a 6,000 sq-ft modern gymnasium, food court, and a spacious sports complex. There is also a dormitory for female students from outside Dhaka, foreign students and a guest-house for visiting scholars. The IUB Library contains over 35,000+ books and access to renowned resource hubs such as ABI Global (ProQuest), Cambridge University Press Journals, EBSCOhost, Emerald Journals, IEEEXplore, JSTOR Journals, Literary Encyclopedia, National Geographic, SpringerLink Journals, and so on. The faculty members of IUB are actively engaged in research and publish regularly in peer-reviewed journals. Along with conventional classroom-based teaching, students are engaged in research relatively early in their academic lives. In 2021, IUB spent a total of BDT 3.05 crore in funding research activities. The academic curriculum is based on the North American Liberal Arts Model and the medium of instruction is English. There are currently five academic schools:
School of Business & Entrepreneurship
School of Engineering, Technology and Sciences
School of Environment & Life Sciences
School of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
School of Pharmacy and Public Health
IUB has three academic terms: spring, summer and autumn with classes commencing in January, May and September respectively. Admission tests are conducted in November, April and July, two months prior to the beginning of each term. IUB strongly believes that financial circumstances should never keep eligible students away from great achievements. The Financial Aid Office of IUB caters with high priority to the university’s standing commitment to meet the financial need of eligible students. Strictly adhering to the Private University Act 2010 of Bangladesh, the Financial Aid Policy of IUB offers financial aid, scholarships and discounts on tuition fees in the following categories:
Waiver:
- on admission test result
- on previous academic attainments
- or wards of freedom fighters
Discount for:
- Siblings studying together at IUB
- Female students
- Disabled students
- Students from ethnic communities
- IUB employees and their dependents
- Children of IUB alumni
- Extracurricular activities
Students can also avail financial benefit by working as Student on Duty (SOD), Teaching Assistant (TA), and Graduate Assistant (GA). From its strong commitment to support a broadly diverse student community, IUB offers scholarships along with free boarding and lodging at the “Saima Hall” dormitory to meritorious underprivileged female students from outside Dhaka in collaboration with the Shaheed Khalek and Major Salek Bir Uttam Trust. IUB's pioneering Program, Live-in-Field Experience, a 3-credit Program mandatory for all undergraduate students, gives a distinctive opportunity to learn about rural life. The program complements the course titled “National Culture and Heritage”, a comprehensive study of the history, society and culture of Bangladesh. Apart from academics, IUB puts a strong emphasis on co-curricular activities and provides students with unlimited opportunities to enhance their talent and skills. The Division of Student Activities (DoSA) coordinates all student activities including the activities of the 48 student clubs. Students are also encouraged to participate in community services programs like blood donation, distribution of winter clothes in marginalized locations, fundraising victims of natural disasters, and so on to promote leadership and personal growth.
