National University (NU) has approved a budget with a deficit of Tk1.839 billion for the 2026-27 financial year, with total expenditure estimated at Tk8.01 billion against projected revenue of Tk6.17 billion.
The budget was approved unanimously at the university’s 28th Senate session held at its main campus on 27 June after Treasurer Professor Dr ATM Zafrul Azam presented the proposed budget for 2026-27 and the revised budget for 2025-26, the university said in a press release.
The Senate also approved a revised budget for the 2025-26 financial year with a deficit of Tk390.56 million. The original budget for the year stood at Tk6.9017 billion, which was revised to Tk6.6408 billion. Projected revenue was initially estimated at Tk5.6534 billion and later revised to Tk6.2503 billion.
In his budget speech, Treasurer Professor Dr ATM Zafrul Azam said National University is the country’s largest public university and accounts for about 70% of higher education in Bangladesh. He said the university finances 100% of its revenue and development budgets from its own income, while other public universities receive government grants covering about 90% of their revenue budgets.
He said the university’s responsibilities and activities have continued to expand and called on the government, through the Bangladesh University Grants Commission, to provide revenue budget support to help finance its growing operations.
The largest allocation in the 2026-27 budget, amounting to Tk3.5226 billion, was earmarked for examination management. Salaries, allowances and employee benefits received the second-largest allocation of Tk1.6515 billion, while Tk931.66 million was allocated for general administrative expenditure and Tk948.79 million for education-related expenditure.
Vice-Chancellor and Senate Chairman Professor Dr ASM Amanullah chaired the session.
Among those attending were Senate member and State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad; Members of Parliament Imran Ahmed Chowdhury, Waresh Ali Mamun, Abul Hossain Khan and GM Siraj; Syndicate member Professor Dr AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed; Bangla Academy President Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haq; National University Pro-Vice-Chancellors Professor Md Lutfor Rahman and Professor Dr Mohammad Ali Jinnah; and Press Institute Bangladesh Director General Faruk Wasif.
Joining online were Senior Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Md Ehsanul Haque, Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khalek, and divisional commissioners. The session was also attended by 70 Senate members, syndicate members, invited guests, deans, the registrar, teachers and heads of various departments.
