O.P Jindal Global University with a global focus!

IT’s a three-hour drive from South Delhi to O.P. Jindal Global University. But the sheer visual delight or opulence that greets one at the university makes the long drive worth it. Be it the crisscross iron framework surrounding the main building, the extraordinarily beautiful Buddha sculpture, or the plush sofas in the library – here’s a campus that takes comfort and ambience quite seriously.
AcademicsThe University comprises three schools-law, management and international affairs. While the law school is up and running with two batches, the management school has just opened and the school of international affairs is still nascent. But collectively, they would emerge as a public university with global standards, says Prof. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor. Currently, very few universities in India have active international affairs schools. Exploring profiles of the other faculty, one is pleasantly surprised to find an alumni of world renowned universities like Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge. In fact, all faculty members of the law school and most of the business school have an international degree or work experience.

The law school, has a yearly intake of 180 for its flagship five-year integrated BA LLB programme, which started in 2009. The school has 110 and 130 students in the second and first year, respectively. The Business School kicked off in 2010 with a batch of around 50 students.

ResearchThough a young campus, the internationally acclaimed faculty do research and publish. Prof. Raj Kumar claims proudly, that two faculty members published in Harvard Business Review, a prestigious management journal. The law school has its own journal - Jindal Law Review.

The recent training programme that Jindal Global Law School did with Cambridge University for IPS officers is probably a sign of things to come. But the sheer amount of administrative work, some of these fine scholars have to do, to get the schools going might impinge upon their research and publishing activities.

The university takes the word ‘global’ in its name, seriously. It has inked collaboration agreements with Yale, Harvard, Indiana University, New York University, University of Michigan, Queen’s University and York University amongst others. And they go beyond mere agreements, Prof Raj Kumar points out. Each one of them have been followed up seriously and have an activity or two to their credit, he asserts.

Campus life and beyondA plush, spacious and well-stocked library, excellent food at the dining hall (albeit purely vegetarian, like the whole campus), and the helipad for the Chancellor further affirm the hypothesis. But education at the Jindal Global Law School is not an easy proposition.

The fee for both the five-year law programme as well as the MBA programme is Rs. 5 lakhs per annum, and an additional Rs one lakh per annum for lodging, board and laundry.

The other courses like LLM are in the range of Rs. 2-3 lakhs per annum. There are a number of scholarships on offer as well. On the whole, about 75% of the students avail one scholarship or the other which averages to around 20% waiver. As the student intake increases, getting adequate faculty might prove to be the biggest challenge for JGLS. And for that the university has to scout both international and domestic shores.

FAST FACTS
Established: 2009
Location: Sonipat, Haryana
Vice-Chancellor: Prof. C Raj Kumar
Programmes: BA LLB, LLM, MBA, PhD
Approval/ Accreditation: UGC notified Private University
Selection: Written test, Merit
Full-time faculty: 46
Top recruiters: NA Seminar: NA
Student activities: Intramural tournament, Invicita
Website: www.jgls.org