Banasthali University

Located in the Tonk district of the Indian state of Rajasthan, Banasthali University is a women-only institute of higher education.

First established in 1935, the university is a private institution offering courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level. It acquired its status as a full university in 1983 and has since expanded to offer a wider range of courses across multiple disciplines.

The university occupies an 850-acre campus in a rural location, more than 70km away from the state capital of Jaipur, but close to the major town of Newai. As a residential institution, the campus provides a great deal of both accommodation and services for its students, with a large number of hostels catered to housing students in a variety of personal circumstances.

In terms of facilities, perhaps most notable is the university’s privately-owned airstrip, which hosts the institution’s own flying club. As well as this, the university also maintains its own dedicated sports infrastructure, with sports such as hockey, horse-riding and basketball regularly practiced.

Academic facilities include a large central library, a dedicated hospital, community radio station and dedicated transport and IT infrastructure. The university also maintains its own "incubation centre", which provides resources and guidance to women seeking to grow and maintain their own enterprises.

Famous alumni of Banasthali University include the first ever Indian female fighter pilot, Avani Chaturvedi, as well as marathon runner Sunita Godara and governor of the state of Gujarat Kamla Beniwal.