Roots and Beginnings
AMU Aligarh

The university grew out of the work of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the great Muslim reformer and statesman, who in the aftermath of the Indian War of Independence of 1857 felt that it was important for Muslims to gain education and become involved in the public life and government services in India. Raja Jai Kishan helped Sir Syed in establishing the university

The British decision to replace the use of Persian in 1842 for government employment and as the language of Courts of Law caused deep anxiety among Muslims of the sub-continent. Sir Syed saw a need for Muslims to acquire proficiency in the English language and Western sciences if the community were to maintain its social and political clout, particularly in Northern India. He began to prepare foundation for the formation of a Muslim University by starting schools at Moradabad (1858) and Ghazipur (1863).His purpose for the establishment of the Scientific Society in 1864, in Aligarh was to translate Western works into Indian languages as a prelude to prepare the community to accept Western education and to inculcate scientific temperament among the Muslims. The intense desire to ameliorate the social conditions of Indian Muslims led Sir Syed to publish the periodical, 'Tehzibul Akhlaq' in 1870.

In 1877, Sir Syed founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh and patterned the college after Oxford and Cambridge universities that he had visited on a trip to England. His objective was to build a college in tune with the British education system but without compromising its Islamic values. Sir Syed's son, Syed Mahmood, who was an alumnus of Cambridge prepared a proposal for an independent university to the â€�Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Fund Committee’ upon his return from England in 1872. This proposal was adopted and subsequently modified. Syed Mahmood continued to work along with his father in founding the college.

It was one of the first purely residential educational institutions set up either by the government or the public in India. Over the years it gave rise to a new educated class of Indian Muslims who were active in the political system of the British Raj. When viceroy to India Lord Curzon visited the college in 1901, he praised the work which was carried on and called it of "sovereign importance".

The college was originally affiliated with the University of Calcutta and subsequently got affiliated with the university of Allahabad in 1885. Near the turn of the century, the college began publishing its own magazine, The Aligarian, and established a Law School.

It was also around this time that a movement began to have it develop into a university. To achieve this goal, expansions were made and more academic programs added to the curriculum of the college. A school for girls was established in 1907. By 1920 the college was transformed into the Aligarh Muslim University.

Sir Syed breathed his last on March 27, 1898 and was buried in the premises of the university mosque in the Sir Syed Hall, AMU.

ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

    The Aligarh Muslim University is a residential academic institution which was established in 1920. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, a great reformist of his age, who felt the need of modern education for Muslims, started a school swayback in 1875 which later became a college under the title of "Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College" and ultimately became a university. This is a premier university comes under central government. The President of India appoints the Vice Chancellor.  It has several faculties and maintained institutions. It draws students from all over the country as well from foreign countries.

Aligarh is situated at a distance of 130 Km., South East of Delhi on Delhi-Calcutta Railway and Grand Trunk Road route. The latitude is 27 degree 54 minute North and longitude is 78 degree 5 minute East. The climate is hot and dry in summer (mid-February to mid June) and cool and dry in winter (mid October to mid February) with an intervening rainy season. The university campus is 3 km away from the main city.

Sir Syed created an institution which, first as M.A.O. College and then since 1920 as Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), became the generator of an amazing range of talent. I came, I saw and I was conquered is the most likely feeling of almost every person who has had occasion to visit the AMU. Aligarh's "culture of decency" has a compelling appeal. You can have a negative view of Aligarh when you have not been there but you cannot when you have known it. A number of distinguished former students of M.A.O. College guided the national struggle as national leaders and made tremendous sacrifices. A number of them occupied most important offices which included the president ship, governorship and chief minister-ship.

In one of his lecture Sir Syed stated: The main reason behind the establishment of this institution, as I am sure all of you know, was the wretched dependence of Muslims, which had been debasing the position day after day. Their religious fanaticism did not let them avail the educational facilities provided by the government schools and colleges. It was, therefore, deemed necessary to make some special arrangement for their education. Suppose, for example, there are two brothers, one of them is quite hale and hearty but other is diseased. His health is on the decline. Thus it is the duty of all brothers to take care of their ailing brother bear the hands in his trouble. This was the very idea which goaded me to establish the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College. But I am pleased to say that both the brothers get the same education in this college. All rights of the college appertaining to those who call themselves Muslims are equally related to those who call themselves Hindus without any reservations. There is no distinction whatsoever between Hindus and Muslims. Only one who strive hard can lay claim to get the award. Here in this college Hindus as well as Muslims are entitled to get the stipends and both of them are treated at par as boarders. I regard both Hindus and Muslims as my two eyes".

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru correctly saw the spirit of Sir Syed's mission when he started in his autobiography:

So, to this education he turned all his energy trying to win over his community to his way of thinking. He wanted no diversions or distraction from other directions: it was a difficult enough piece of work to overcome the inertia and hesitation of the Muslims. The Hindus, half a century ahead in Western education, could indulge in this pastime. Sir Syeds decision to concentrate on Western education for Muslims was undoubtedly a right one. Without that they could not have played any effective part in the building up of Indian nationalism of the new type, and they would have been doomed to play second fiddle to the Hindus with their better education and far stronger economic position. The Muslims were not historically or ideologically ready then for the bourgeois nationalist movement as they had developed no bourgeoisie, as the Hindus had done. Sir Syeds activities, therefore, although seemingly very moderate, were in the right revolutionary direction.

The establishment of M. A. O. College was described by Lord Lytton as an epoch in the social progress of India. Several decades later Sir Hamilton Gibb characterized the college as the first modernist institution in Islam.

Freedom Fighters and Leaders

What should one think of a university which has produced freedom fighters like Mohammad Ali, Shaukat Ali, Hasrat Mohani, Raja Mahinder Pratap, Syed Husain, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai and Mohammad Yunus and claims to have had on its rolls a Zakir Husain who rose to be a president of India, an Ayub Khan who became president of Pakistan, a Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan, a Prime Minister of Pakistan, an Ahmed Said Khan of Chatari, a Prime Minister of Hyderabad, Sheikh Abdullah, G.M. Sadiq and Mir Qasim, all Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir; Abdul Ghafoor, Chief Minister of Bihar; Minister of State for Railways, Shafi Qureshi; Minister of State for Industry, B.P. Mauriya and Minister of State for Law, V. A. Saiyed Mohamamd.

 

Educators and Scholars

Aligarh seems to have been a perennial source of talent and can boast of having the stature of Abdul Haq, Abdul Majid Daryabadi, D. D. Kosambi, K.M. Panikar and Haroon Khan Sherwani among its scholars and Babar Mirza, Zakir Husain, Ghulam Sayyedein, Mohammad Habib, Hadi Hasan, Shaikh Mohammad Abdullah and Mumtaz Jehan Hyder among its educators. Aligarh has produced Fani, Josh, Majaz, Jazbi and Ali Sardar Jafri among its poets and Sajjad Hyder Yaldram, Zafar Ali Khan, Sadat Hasan Minto, Ismat Chughtai, Qazi Abdul Sattar, Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqi, Ale Ahmed Suroor and Raja Rao among its men of letters. The mehfils of Aligarh still reverberate with the poems of Waheed Akhtar, Sajida Zaidi, Zahida Zaidi, Ravindra Bhramar and Shiv Shankar Sharma Rakesh. Aligarh men and women made the grade at the highest ranks of the national ladder e.g. Minister of education, Chief minister of West Bengal and Orissa and Indian Ambassador to U.S.S.R., Nurul Hasan; Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Satish Chandra; Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission and Governor of Bihar State, A. R. Kidwai; Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia, Masood Husain Khan; Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training, Rais Ahmed; Rector of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Monis Raza; Director-General, Department of Oceanography, Zahoor Qasim; Indian Ambassador to Syria, K. A. Nizami; Secretary in the Central Government, Mahmood Butt.
 

Artists and Film Personalities

Even among film personalities Aligarh is not to be left behind. It has given to the country Begum Para, Neena, Renuka Devi, Talat Mahmood, Shakeel Badayuni, Rahi Masoom Raza, Javed (of Saleem Javed fame), Rahman, Tabbasum and Naseeruddin Shah.
 

Sports and Athletics

As for sports, Ghouse Mohammad learnt his tennis at Aligarh and Wazir Ali, Nazir Ali, Lala Amarnath, C. S. Naidu and Mushtaq Ali their cricket. Among Olympic hockey players, Mohammed Jafar, Masood Minsha, Ali Sayeed, Inamur Rahman, Govinda and Zafar Iqbal played for India; Abdul Qayyum, Sayed Ali, and Anwar Ahmad Khan for Pakistan and Doraswamy for Malaysia. Afsar Husain still is the national yachting champion.

A Convocation Address

So far as Muslim of India are concerned, one can assert without fear of contradiction that the man who played the most important role in this struggle is the presiding spirit of this university. The battle was fought here in Aligarh and Aligarh is the visible embodiment of the victory of the forces of progress. Here developed the new schools of research, interpretation and reconstruction of Muslim thought. You must remember that this glorious heritage is yours and it is for you to revive the past splendor of Aligarh. The inscriptions which have been carved on the walls of your Strachey Hall may fade with the passage of time but the inscriptions which Aligarh has written on the modern period of Indian history can never fade. Future historians will discover in Aligarh one of the main sources which has contributed to the evolution of modern India. Your duty is to regenerate those old traditions and to create in your University an atmosphere of research and enquiry into all the spheres of knowledge and preach the gospel of large hearted tolerance and of pure morality.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
February 20, 1949
Courtesy by:
Dr. Raziuddin & S. Rafat Husain
Aligarh Alumni Association
Washington, D.C.
 

A 100 Year Chronology

24 May 1875 The inauguration of the School. This presided by Maulvi Mohammed Karim, president of Managing Committee. Speeches delivered by Sir Syed, Raja Jai Kishan Das and Maulvi Samiullah. Maulvi Samiullah's son Mr.Hamidullah Khan admitted as the first student.

1 June 1875 The boarding house started with seven students on the roll with a budget of Rs. 989 per month. Managing committee constituted Maulvi Samiullah, Chiragh Ali, Syed Mahmood, Raja Jai Kishan Das, Sir Syed, Nawab Ziauddin Khan and Maulana Ahsan Nanotovi was appointed its member. Maulvi Samiuulah Khan was appointed secretary of the Managing Committee.

8 January 1877 Lord Lytton laid the foundation stone of Strachey Hall and the M. A. O. College.

1 January 1878 First year classes started and the college affiliated to the Calcutta University for F. A. education.

1 January 1881 B. A. classes started. Mr. Ishwari Prasad was the first student of M. A. O. College to pass the examination.

26 August 1884 Students Union (Siddons Union Club) inaugurated.

16 November 1887 The college affiliated to Allahabad University.

21 December 1889 Trustee Bill passed. Sir Syed and Syed Mahmood appointed as Life Honorary Secretary and Life Joint Secretary of the college.

15 July 1891 First issue of Aligarh Magazine edited by Maulana Shibli Nomani, published.

20 December 1891 Law classes started.

27 March 1898 Sir Syed Ahmad Khan died.

31 March 1898 Efforts started to make the college a Muslim University by Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan.

31 January 1899 Mohsinul Mulk appointed as the Secretary of M. A. O. College.

7 March 1906 Princes of wales visited the college, Science section of the college dedicated to him established.

16 January 1907 His Majesty Habeebullah Khan Shah of Afghanistan visited the college and announced a grant of Rs. 20,000.

10 February 1907 Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah established Girls School which was recognized as Undergraduate College in 1937.

16 February 1907 Students strike against European staff of the College.

11 January 1908 Viqarul Mulk appointed as the Secretary of the College.

10 January 1911 A committee constituted to establish Muslim University with Sir Mohammad Agha Khan as the President and Nawab Viqarul Mulk as the Honorary Secretary.

25 October 1920 Mahatma Gandhi visited the College.

17 December 1920 Inauguration of the Muslim University. Her Highness Sultan Jahan Begum, Wali Bhopal appointed as the first Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, Sir Ali Mohammad Khan, Maharaja Mahmoodabad took over as the first Vice-Chancellor of the University.

28 December 1922 First convocation of the University. 228 Science and Arts graduate were awarded degrees.

1 January 1924 Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan appointed the Vice- Chancellor.

16 November 1926 Nawab Bhopal Hameedullah Khan laid the foundation of the Science Faculty. Government of India donated 15 lakh rupees and Nizam Hyderabad also donated 10 lakh rupees to the University.

27 November 1927 Ahmadi School for blind inaugurated.

15 July 1928 Unani Medicine classes started.

21 November 1938 College for Engineering & Technology inaugurated.

11 October 1951 Aligarh Muslim University (Amendment) Act passed.

3 January 1952 Institute of Ophthamology's foundation stone was laid.

6 November 1955 Pandit Nehru laid the foundation stone of Maulana Azad Library which was inaugurated by him on 6 Dec. 1960.

3 December 1955 Shah Saud visited the University.

25 February 1956 Iran's Shah's visit to the University.

21 May 1956 A delegation led by Dr. Zakir Husain visited Saudi Arabia. Shah Saud donated 1 million rupees to the University Medical College. Date of establishment of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.

8 November 1960 Foundation stone of Kennedy House laid.22 lakh rupees donated by Ford Foundation, U. S. A. to this complex.

29 March 1961 Foundation stone of Faculty of Arts laid. Commerce Faculty started.

20 November 1964 His Highness Sheikh Sabahu Saleem, Prime Minister Kuwait visited the University.

20 July 1966 Womens's Polytechnic inaugurated.

6 February 1968 Center of west Asian Studies established.

16 April 1969 Faculty of Social Science introduced.

17 June 1972 An undemocratic, highly objectionable Act imposed upon the University, known as "Black Act".

4 January 1975 Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Alnahyan visited the University and announced a grant of millions of rupees for Petroleum College.

13 March 1976 Annual convocation of the University in which Late Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad, President of India, was the Chief Guest.

Courtesy by: Dr. Raziuddin & S. Rafat Husain 
Aligarh Alumni Association                              
Washington, D.C.                                            

Statistics

 

Aligarh Muslim University

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is a Residential Academic Institution located in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and in 1920 it was granted a status of Central University by an Act of Indian Parliament. It is one of the premier central universities in India.
Aligarh is situated at a distance of 130 km, South-East of Delhi on Delhi-Kolkata Railway and Grand Trunk Road. Modelled on the University of Cambridge, it was among the first institutions of higher learning set up during the British Raj. Originally it was Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which was founded by a great Muslim social reformer Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Many prominent Muslim leaders, and Urdu writers and scholars of the subcontinent have graduated from the University.

Aligarh Muslim University offers more than 250 Courses in traditional and modern branch of Education. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a great social reformer of his age felt the need for modern education and started a school in 1875 which later became the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College and finally Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. This is a premier Central University with several faculties and maintained institutions and draws students from all corners of the world, especially Africa, West Asia and South East Asia. In some courses, seats are reserved for students from SAARC and Commonwealth countries. The University is open to all irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. It is ranked 8th best (2009 ranking) of all research universities in India by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of India.

The establishment of Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College in 1875 marks one of the most important events in the educational and social history of modern India. Its establishment is considered as the first significant response of the Indian Muslims to the challenges of post -1857 era. It was an important catalyst in a process of social change among Muslims

In 1920, an Act of Indian Legislative Council elevated the M.A.O. College to the status of a Central University. Since that time AMU has grown into a major Indian university. It presently covers a very wide spectrum of academic disciplines, having 88 departments, 5 institutions, 13 centers

The University currently has about 28000 students on its rolls, most of whom stay in 16 halls of residences with 70 hostels. It employs about 1400 academic staff, and about 6000 non-teaching staff. On an average, about 500 foreign students come to study at AMU every year. The University has a campus spread over 467.6 hectares of land.

Establishment from foundation to University:

24 May 1875:
Inauguration of the School (Madarsatul Uloom) at Sami Manzil, Jail Road, Aligarh presided by Maulvi Mohd. Karim, President of the Managing Committee. Maulvi Samiullah’s son Mr. Hamidullah Khan admitted as the first student.
1 June 1875:
Boarding House started with seven students on the roll with a budget of Rs. 989/- per month.  Managing Committee consisted of Maulvi Samiullah, Chiragh Ali, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Syed Mahmud, Raja Jaikishan Das, Nawab Ziauddin Khan and Maulvi Ahsan  Nanotavi etc.
28 June 1875:
Mr. H.G.I. Siddons took over as Head Master of the School on a salary of Rs. 400/- per month.  Mr. Baijnath Prasad was appointed as Second Master along with Maulvi Abul Hasan, Maulana Mohd. Akbar, Syed Jafer Ali, Maulvi Najaf Ali etc.
12 November 1875:
Sir William Muir, Lt. Governor of U.P. visited the institution.  He was presented with an address of welcome on behalf of the School in which the scheme of the College was described in detail.
6 December 1875:
H.H. Mahindra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, accompanied by his Chief Minister Khalifa Muhammed Hasan, paid a visit to the School and announced a grant of Rs. 1,800/- per annum.  He was appointed the first Visitor of the institution.
8 November 1877:
Syed Ahmed Khulusi Effendi, the Ambassador of Turkey visited the College.
8 January 1877:
Lord Lytton, the Viceroy and Governor General of India laid the foundation stone of the M.A.O. College.  Raja Shambhu Narayan Singh, Raja Jai Kishan Das, Rao Kishan Kumar and others, were also present.
1 January 1878:
Intermediate classes started and the college affiliated to the Calcutta University for F.A. Examination.
12 January 1878:
Sir Richard Temple, Governor of Bombay paid a visit to the college.
10 December 1880:
Sir John Strachey, the Lt. Governor of U.P. paid a visit on the eve of his retirement from ICS.
1 January 1881:
Four students appeared in the B.A. Examination.  Mr. Ishwari Prasad was the first student to pass the examination.
5 February 1883:
Sir Alfred Lyall, Lt. Governor of U.P. visited the College and declared open the newly constructed classrooms.
26 August 1884:
Students’ Union (Siddons Union Club) was inaugurated under the presidentship of Theodore Beck.  Khwaja Sajjad Husain was declared Vice President and Syed Mohammed Ali Secretary of the Union.
1884:
Foundation Stone of the Victoria Gate was laid.
22 December 1886:
All India Mohammedan Educational Conference was inaugurated.
3 January 1887:
A deputation of the College Fund Committee called upon the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mr. Mehboob Ali Khan, to seek the permission to dedicate the College Museum to him.
16 November 1887:
The College was affiliated to Allahabad University. 1 January 1888 : Sir John Edge, the first Vice Chancellor of the Allahabad University visited the College on the occasion of the anniversary of the Siddons Union Club.
24 July 1888:
Sir Asman Jah Bahadur, Prime Minister of Hyderabad visited the College. 6 February 1889 : Sir Syed along with his friends staged a drama in Aligarh Exhibition to raise funds for the College. 21 December 1889:
Trustee Bill passed and Board of Trustees replaced the College Fund Committee. Sir Syed was elected life Honorary Secretary and Syed Mahmud life Joint Secretary. November 1890 : Duty Society was inaugurated at the initiative of Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan.
1891:
Aligarh Magazine started its publication under the editorship of Maulana Shibli Nomani.
25June 1891:
The brotherhood or ‘The Ikhwanussafa’ was set up. Its membership was open to the present and past AMU students and teachers. It was later on converted into Old Boys’ Association.
29 December 1891:
The Chief Justice of Allahabad Mr. Douglas Straight visited to inaugurate the Law Classes.
12 November 1894:
The Lt. Governor, Sir Charles Crosthwait, performed the opening ceremony of the Strachey Hall.
7 August 1895:
Sir Allen Cadell, Governor of U.P. visited the College and presided over the Annual Prize distribution function.  (Sir) Ziauddin received the Strachey Gold Medal for securing Honours in Mathematics.
27 March 1898:
Sir Syed breathed his last at 10 P.M. His funeral prayer was performed in the Cricket ground on 28th March.
31 March 1898:
Efforts started to make the College a Muslim University by Sahabzada Aftab Ahmad Khan.
31 January 1899:
Mohsinul Mulk appointed Secretary of M.A.O. College and Syed Mahmud was granted Life Presidentship.
2 July 1901:
H. H. Siyaji Rao Gaikwad of Baroda visited the College.
10 August 1903:
A deputation headed by Mir Wilayat Husain was sent to Iran, on whose persuasion 12 students from the Royal family came to study at Aligarh. 
7 March 1906:
Prince of Wales visited the College and Science Section was established.  Sir Adamji Peer Bhoi of Bombay donated Rs. One Lakh ten thousand.  H.H. Agha Khan and Raja Saheb of Mahmoodabad gave Rs. 36 thousand cash and a grant of Rs. 64,611 per annum to the College.
1 October 1906:
A delegation headed by Agha Khan called upon Lord Minto, the Viceroy and Governor General of India in Shimla to seek help in establishing a Muslim University.
16 January 1907:
His Majesty Habeebullah Khan, Shah of Afghanistan visited the College and announced a grant of Rs. 20,000.
10 February 1907:
Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah established Girls’ School, which in 1921 became a High School and was recognized as Undergraduate College in 1937.
1907:
Students’ strike against European Staff.
1 December 1907:
Nawab Viqarul Mulk was appointed Secretary of the College.
20 July 1908:
Government handed over General Peron’s residence, Sahib Bagh, built in 1803 to the College, which after some alteration became Sulaiman Hall.
13 November 1909:
Mir Imam Baksh of Talpur, ruler of Khairpur Sindh visited the College and donated a property of Rs 500 per month. So impressed was he by the high standard of the College that he decided to admit his son to this college.
15 December 1909:
Mr J. C. Gupta, Member of the Indian Council visited and was highly impressed by the secular character of the College.
1 January 1910:
Sir Pratap Singh Inder Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir donated Rs 2,000 to the college during his visit.
18 March 1910:
Mr. Chirol, Foreign Editor of the London Times visited the College.
10 January 1911:
A Committee constituted to establish Muslim University with Sir Agha Khan as the President and Nawab Viqarul Mulk as Hony. Secretary. Nawab Muzammilullah Khan, Haji Mohd. Musa Khan, Shaikh Mohd. Abdullah and Mr. Shaukat Ali were appointed Joint Secretaries.
16 February 1911:
University Constitution Committee was formed and held its first meeting at Lucknow. 
9 June 1912:
Sir Rameshwar Singh, Maharaja of Darbhanga, who was the President of B.H.U. Committee, visited the College.
21 July 1912: The Trustees accepted Nawab Viqarul Mulk’s resignation and unanimously elected Nawab Ishaq Khan as Secretary.
27 February 1914:
Begum Sultan Jahan of Bhopal laid the foundation stone of the Educational Conference Building which she declared open on 19.2.1916.
25 July 1914:
The main gate of the College was named as Victoria Gate. Feb 1915 : The Mosque was formally declared open.
6 January 1917:
Mrs. Sarojni Naidu delivered a lecture on ‘the glories of Islam and the Hindu-Muslim amity’ at Strachey Hall.
29 January 1918:
The Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Usman Ali Khan, visited the College and donated Rs one lakh for Arabic teaching and Rs five thousand for renovating rooms of the hostel named later as Osmania hostel.
25 October 1920:
|Mahatma Gandhi visited the College and was made the first Honorary Life Member of the Students’ Union.
29 October 1920:
Inauguration of Jamia Millia Islamia at University Mosque.  Shaikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmoodul Hasan presided over the function.
1 December 1920:
Central Legislative Assembly passed Aligarh Muslim University Act (1920).
December 1920:
Inauguration of the Muslim University with 13 departments of studies.  Her Highness Sultan Jahan Begum of Bhopal was appointed the first Chancellor, and Maharaja of Mahmoodabad took over as the first Vice Chancellor of the University.
26 March 1921:
First meeting of the A.M.U. Court and the Executive Council was held. Dr. Sir Ziauddin Ahmad and Sajjad Hyder Yaldarm were appointed PVC and Registrar respectively.
28 December 1922:
First Convocation of the University: 228 Science and Arts graduates were awarded degrees.  Mian Sir Mohammed Shafi was conferred D.Lit. (Honoris Causa).

 

Total students at present:	24,000
Resident Students:	15000
Total Staff:	8000
Teaching Staff:	2000
Faculties:	12
Departments:	84
Halls of residence:	15
Girls Hostels:	3
Budget plan and non plan:	100 crores.
Maulana Azad Library having more than 1 Million books and rare manuscripts.
Computer Center, Remote Sensing Center and Telematics Center.
Fully developed sports complex, swimming pool, Riding Club, Lawn Tennis etc.
Medical College and Hospital.
Tibbiya College (Unani Medicine), 6 School, One women's College, Two boys and girls polytech.

 

Number of Faculties---------------------------------  11
Number of Department of Studies----------------  82
Number of Teachers ---------------------------------  2,530
Number of Students --------------------------------   27,340
Number of Foreign Students----------------------   1,865 
Number of Employees ------------------------------   7,394
Number of Halls of Residence ------------------   15

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