Latest news with #SPPU
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
QS World University Rankings 2026: SPPU is Maharashtra's top-ranked university, secures 566th rank globally
Written by Antara Kulkarni The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has secured the 566th position in the recently released Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2026. QS evaluated over 8,500 universities globally, and its rankings encompass more than 1,500 universities. A total of 54 Indian universities found a spot in the rankings. SPPU is the top-ranked university in Maharashtra, and notched up the second position among public state universities in India. QS rankings involve the evaluation of universities based on five parameters with different weightage: Research and Discovery, Employability and Outcomes, Global Engagement, Learning Experience, and Sustainability. For the 2026 rankings, International Student Diversity has also been introduced as an unweighted indicator. SPPU has received a high score in the 'Research and Discovery' parameter due to a higher ranking in 'Citations per Faculty', which has shown a 124-point increase when compared to the previous year, despite a reduction in the number of faculty this year. The university has a high 'Global Engagement' score due to a higher ranking in 'International Research Network', and a high 'Learning Experience' score due to its performance in the 'Faculty Student Ratio' segment. The 'Employment Outcomes' score has also shown a 130-point increase over the 2025 rankings. Calculations based on these parameters have given the university a score of 29.3 out of 100. 'Moving forward, we remain firmly committed to further enhancing the quality of teaching, research, and global engagement in alignment with the transformative vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020… We are confident that once all the 111 sanctioned teaching positions are filled, Savitribai Phule Pune University will advance to a global rank within 500,' said Dr Suresh Gosavi, Vice-Chancellor, SPPU. 'The university has achieved an overall world ranking of 566, a significant improvement from its previous band of 631–640,' said Professor Parag Kalkar, SPPU, Pro Vice-Chancellor. (Antara Kulkarni is an intern with The Indian Express)
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Chandrakant Patil urges universities to speed up professor recruitment
With the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) underway, the role of professors in delivering quality education has become increasingly critical. To ensure this, Maharashtra's Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Patil, has urged all university Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) to accelerate the recruitment process for faculty positions already approved by the state government. A recent meeting of university V-Cs, chaired by Patil, reviewed the progress of NEP implementation and addressed various education-related matters. The State government has approved the recruitment of 600 professor posts across universities, including Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). However, the hiring process faced several delays, initially due to the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, and later owing to adjustments in the reservation policy. Commenting about the delay, Patil said, 'More than 600 posts have been vacant for over a year. The main reason for the delay was a stay imposed by Governor Ramesh Bais. He had suggested handing over the recruitment process to the MPSC, but that was not practically feasible.' There hasn't been a major professor recruitment in SPPU for many years, leaving many teaching positions vacant. The government's recent approval had raised hopes among qualified, job-seeking candidates, but continued delays have renewed their concerns. 'If one candidate has a PhD from Pune University and another from Gadchiroli, how do you assign equal weightage? I told the governor that this confusion is delaying progress and affecting the education system,' Patil said. With municipal elections expected to be announced soon, there is a looming risk of further postponement. Minister Patil emphasised the urgency, stating that universities must complete the recruitment process at the earliest to ensure the effective rollout of NEP and address staffing shortages. When asked about the recruitment, SPPU V-C Suresh Gosavi said, 'We will follow all the instructions given to us regarding the recruitment process. Everything is lined up, and we will begin the process smoothly next month.' Commenting on the delayed process, PhD scholar Tukaram Shinde stated, 'Recruitment has not been done for many years, and it is affecting students' academics. Under the NEP, students deserve quality teaching, but one teacher is often handling two subjects and facing an excessive workload. Several departments in the varsity are understaffed, affecting the futures of the students.'
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pune varsity files complaint over fake SET paper leak posts on social media
The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) on Wednesday approached the Pune Cyber Police Station with a complaint against fake and misleading content being circulated on social media regarding a purported paper leak in the upcoming State Eligibility Test (SET). The state eligibility test (SET) examination department of SPPU, which operates under the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines and conducts the exam on behalf of the Maharashtra government, is the nodal body responsible for determining eligibility for assistant professor posts in universities and senior colleges across Maharashtra and Goa. Swapnali Shinde, inspector, cyber police, said, 'If any concrete information emerges, a press release will be issued. At this stage, the case is under investigation.' The 40th SET exam is scheduled to be held on June 15 at various college centres in 18 cities across Maharashtra and Goa. In the lead-up to the exam, some unverified claims and videos alleging a paper leak have surfaced online, triggering anxiety among aspirants. The university has categorically denied these claims and termed them baseless. 'These videos and posts have no factual basis. Students are advised not to fall for such misinformation,' the SET department said in a statement, adding that only updates issued through the official SET portal should be trusted. Rahul Sasane, representative of the University Students Action Committee, said the panel has submitted a letter to the vice-chancellor demanding probe into the issue.
Hindustan Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce Invites Pre-Merit Applications for 2025 UG & PG Admissions
Pune, 03rd,June 2025: Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce (SCAC), an educational institution in Pune, has officially opened its pre-merit application process for admissions to its undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes for the academic year 2025–26. Aspiring students are invited to apply online, with important deadlines approaching: June 5, 2025, for undergraduate programmes and June 17, 2025, for postgraduate programmes. Undergraduate Admissions (UG): SCAC offers a range of undergraduate programmes, including Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Commerce ( and specialised degrees integrated with international certifications like ACCA (in association with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK), Business Analytics (in association with the Institute of Analytics, UK) and CMA (in association with the Institute of Management Accountants, USA). Postgraduate Admissions (PG):The postgraduate admission process at SCAC encompasses M.A. programmes in English, Economics, and Psychology. The programme has a specialisation in Business and Technology Management and another in Finance. Eligibility Criteria: Admissions to the B.A/ regular programmes will be merit-based, determined by the aggregate percentage of all subjects appeared in the qualifying 10+2 or equivalent examination; percentages based on'Best of Four' or 'Best of Five' will not be considered. Candidates must have completed their 10+2 from a recognised board. Reservation under the caste category is applicable only to students from the State of Maharashtra who possess a valid caste certificate issued by the Government of Maharashtra, in accordance with the state's reservation policy. The First Merit List for all UG programmes is expected to be published on 10th June 2025. Admission to the MA/ programmes require a relevant bachelor's degree from a recognised university. The Merit List for all programmes except MA in Psychology will be published on 20th June 2025. For the M.A. in Psychology, applicants must hold a B.A. or in Psychology, and admissions will also involve an online interview, scheduled to take place from June 23 to June 28, 2025tentatively. The merit list for the MA in Psychology programme will be published on 3rd July 2025. Reservation policies for postgraduate courses follow similar state government regulations as in case of the UG process. The college also has Ph.D. programmes in English, Economics, Psychology and Commerce. The candidates are required to have cleared either PET conducted by Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) or NET/SET exam. Such candidates will become eligible for the Ph.D. programme only after they have applied through SPPU. SCAC has also been involved in introducing Liberal Arts Education along with the traditional curriculum in Symbiosis. The Symbiosis Center for Liberal Arts (SCLA) has introduced a number of Interdisciplinary courses empowering students to think laterally, critically and to develop their individual perspectives. The courses include Comparative Mythology, Global Politics, Contemporary Economics, Creative Writing to name just a few. The center offers both Diploma and Certificate courses. Dr. Tessy Thadathil, Officiating Principal at SCAC emphasised the college's dedication to excellence, stating, 'At SCAC, our mission is to deliver academic excellence while nurturing critical thinking and practical skill sets. Our diverse programmes are structured to prepare students for dynamic career paths.' The application process involves completing the online pre-merit form, uploading all required documents in the specified format, and paying the application fee through digital payment modes such as credit/debit cards, net banking, or UPI. A non-refundable Pre-Merit Online Processing Fee of ₹1,500 is mandatory for all candidates at the time of registration. Applicants are advised to check their emails as well as the college website regularly for updates on merit lists and further instructions. All official communication will be conducted exclusively through the college's website and registered email addresses. Applicants are also cautioned to disable browser autofill features to avoid errors during form submission, as any discrepancies may result in rejection of the application. Please note that all dates mentioned above are tentative and all of them are subject to confirmation on the college website. For more information on eligibility criteria, document requirements, detailed programme descriptions and confirmation of the dates, please visit the official college website at
Hindustan Times
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Engineering professor, 3 students held for exam malpractices
The Pune Police Crime Branch's Unit 6 has arrested a professor and three students from Moze Engineering College in Wagholi for allegedly providing university exam papers to students to rewrite in exchange for money, police said on Tuesday. Taking serious cognisance of the case, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has constituted a fact-finding committee which has been asked to submit the report within seven days post which the varsity authorities have promised action against the college staff, said Prabhakar Desai, officiating director, Board of Examinations and Evaluation, SPPU. According to officials, based on a tip-off, the action was taken at the college on Monday night. Police said the professor allegedly allowed students to rewrite examination papers after the scheduled exam hours by accepting money. The investigation revealed that targeted students, worried about failing in particular subjects, would leave the answer sheets blank during the exam, conducted during the second half of the day. Later in the night, Satav gave them the answer sheet to rewrite the paper with correct answers and charge ₹10,000- ₹50,000 per paper. As per SPPU officials, since the exam was conducted in the second half of day, the answer sheet would remain with the college till next morning before been brought to the university. The accused, Pratik Kisan Satav, 37, of Kesnand in Wagholi is professor at the mechanical engineering department of the private engineering college. He has been teaching mathematics at the Moze Engineering College since past five years. The arrested students include Aditya Yashwant Khilare, 20; Amol Ashok Nagargoje, 19, and Aniket Shivaji Rode, 20, all from Wagholi who helped the professor in the racket. Nagargoje and Rode, third year students of the college, are engaged in providing security services to the institute under the earn and learn scheme. Khilare works at a hostel run by Satav's wife. He, according to police officials, was also looking after Satav's finances during the exam malpractices. All the four arrested will be produced in the local court on Wednesday, a police official said. Despite attempts, Moze college authorities did not respond to allegations and the police action. Officials said six answer sheet bundles of engineering mathematics paper 2 of SPPU, ₹2,06,000 in cash and duplicate key of the control room where answer sheets were kept were seized from Satav's possession. Eight first year students of the engineering course were found to have received the exam papers. Nikhil Pingale, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), crime, said, 'We are investigating how long they have been running the racket and who else is involved in the case.' Wagholi Police Station has filed a case under Sections 303(2), 318(2), 318(3), 318(4), 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 4, 5, 10 and 11 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. In October and December 2024, there were complaints of similar nature against professor Satav. In January 2025, the SPPU wrote to Moze Engineering College asking the institute to probe the paper leak allegations by constituting the committee. The panel set up by the college, however, did not find anything substantial against the professor. The college removed him from the post of chief examination officer responsible for the smooth conduct of exam.
