Brac University (BRACU) has emerged as the number one private university in Bangladesh in the first rankings of their kind to be published in the country.
The Dhaka Tribune-Bangla Tribune Private University Rankings 2017 published yesterday included the names and scores of the 20 top private universities based on two criteria: the Factual Score and the Perpetual Score.
The Factual Score depended on four broad variables - the faculty, student service, research, and the learning resources. All of this data was collected from the information universities are required to send to the University Grants Commission every year.
The Perceptual Score was given based on two different sets of indicators. One was for the academics including quality of faculty, graduates and the overall reputation of the university. The other was for the Employer’s assessment of the graduates’ ability to take initiative, communicate or work in a team. It also included the academic reputation of the university. 60% Perceptual score and 40% Factual score summed up to provide an overall score for the universities under the survey.
Brac University secured its place at the top of the rankings with a dominating performance in the Factual indicators category, scoring 80.3 out of 100. The next best performer in this category was Independent University, Bangladesh with a score of 62.84. IUB came third in the overall rankings.
See where the other universities stand
Across both categories, Brac scored 78.95 points to finish ahead of North South University in second on 71.13.
However, North South University scored the highest number of Perceptual points with a total of 79.57 out of the same 100-point scale, with BRACU coming second with 77.27 points.
The Perceptual data was collected from two sources: academics including university deans, department heads, registrars and senior teachers; and employers who mainly included the human resource managers of organisations that employ university graduates. North South University scored the highest on both academics and the employers ranks, with 82.65 and 76.50 points respectively.
The Factual scores depended on the data obtained from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the year 2014.
Brac University stood out through its student-faculty ratio. With one teacher for every 11 students, it easily gained points over other universities, including NSU, as the latter has one teacher for every 18 students.
Brac also ranks number one in terms of spending money on research. With a sum-total of Tk39.02cr allocated for research in 2014, the university outspent the next university, IUB, by almost five times.
Read the detailed methodology of the study
Aside from these two best ranking universities, the other universities to rank in the top 10 are: Independent University, Bangladesh (3), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (4), American International University Bangladesh (5), University of Liberal Arts (6), East West University (7), The University of Asia Pacific (8), United International University (UIU) and Daffodil International University (DIU) (10).
The university ranking project was carried out under the supervision of an advisory committee with committee members including Dr. Syed Manzoorul Islam, Professor of English (retired), Dhaka University; Monzurul Haque, Chairman and Managing Director, Orq-quest; and Zulfiqer Russell, Editor, Bangla Tribune.
The ranking was published to help students make their choices easier during university admissions, as they can now access a concise array of information without having to face any overwhelming barrage of information.
“This recognition stems from the tireless efforts of the entire BRACU family – the policy framers -leadership team, academic council, syndicate, and the board of trustees – the faculty, students and management, by striving for higher standards on multiple fronts,” said Professor Syed Saad Andaleeb, the vice-chancellor of Brac University.
“While it is a wonderful recognition to be ranked as the leading private university, we shouldn’t be overtaken by the ranking game. Instead, we should focus on student engagement, building quality programs, and adding value to the students, faculty and management and thereby enable them to strive for knowledge leadership in an era of the fourth industrial revolution,” he added.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
