The university completed its establishment in 2008 by the
Government of West Bengal. At present there are 23
PG departments running with an enrollment of around 2500. 25 General degree colleges with enrollment of 1.50 Lakhs (150.000) in
Malda,
Uttar Dinajpur and
Dakshin Dinajpur districts, with the exception of
Raiganj University College, are affiliated with this university. The university is situated on (old N.H. 34) near Rabindra Bhavan. The Central Bus Terminus is adjacent to the University campus. The University of Gour Banga (UGB) is established by
West Bengal Act XXVI of 2007 and located at
English Bazar area of
Malda district in
West Bengal. It is one of the newest state universities established by the
Government of West Bengal to address the concerns of ‘equity and access’ and to increase access to quality higher education for people in less educationally developed districts of
Malda,
Uttar Dinajpur and
Dakshin Dinajpur which have a Graduate Enrolment Ratio of less than the state and national average . The UGB, with its territorial jurisdiction of the entire
Malda,
Uttar Dinajpur and
Dakshin Dinajpur districts initiated its academic activities from the academic year 2008 in keeping with the philosophy of achieving and maintaining the highest levels of academic excellence and meeting the aspiration of the socio-economically backward segments of Muslims, SC and ST which constitute more than 75 percent of the population in its catchment area. Prof. Surabhi Bandyopadhyay, the former
vice-chancellor of
Netaji Subhas Open University, became the first vice chancellor of the university, while the former
registrar of
University of North Bengal, Dr. Tapash Kumar Chattopadhyay, became the first acting registrar, all in 2008. Prof. Gopa Dutta was the second vice chancellor. The logo of the University of Gour Banga was prepared in the second week of June 2008 by Sameer Rakshit, the head of the Department of Architecture,
Jadavpur University. In 2024, five researchers from the University of Gour Banga were named among the '''World's top 2% of scientists''' in a study by
Stanford University. Recognized for their significant citation impact and research excellence, the faculty members represent the departments of Physics, Botany, and Zoology. This achievement highlights the institution's growing contribution to global scientific literature and academic research. The University’s Geography Department recently secured a ₹73 lakh
DST-FIST grant from India's
Ministry of Science and Technology. This funding aims to enhance research infrastructure, focusing on
geoinformatics and laboratory upgrades to support advanced geographical studies in North Bengal. == Organisation and Administration ==