Aliah University (Madrasa Aliya ‎) was a madrasa founded by the first Governor-General of India in 1781 in Calcutta by Warren Hastings although some sources have the founding date as 1780. Hastings ran the institution out of his pocket for a year and a half until he was later reimbursed by the Bengal Government. It was founded in Baithakkhana near Sealdah, Calcutta but is currently located to the north of Wellesley Square (renamed Haji Md. Mohsin Square) in the Taltala area and some of it parts are located in Salt Lake, sector-V, and Rajarhat. Its first head was Mulla Majduddin but Muhammad Ismail took over in 1791. Beginning in the early stage the school taught Persian, Arabic and Muslim Law (Fiqh) and its graduates were hired as interpreters for the British Raj.

Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), located in West Bengal, is an agricultural University for offering agricultural education both at UG and PG levels, conducting agricultural research as well as organizing extension programmes. The university provides modern and high value education to create technocrats and scientist of capability.

The University College of Law wasestablished in January 1909 and in February 1983 it was granted the status asthe Department of Law of the Universityof Calcutta (now University of Kolkata).It has been ranked 21st amongst the Top-25 law schools in the country accordingto latest survey conducted by India Today. The Department of Law of the University of Calcutta is situated at the Hazra campusof the university.

Being the law department of the university,it has five other law colleges under its aegis other than its own campus forimparting legal education. The colleges affiliated to the Department of Law, University of Kolkata are:

• Surendranath Law College
• South Calcutta Law College
• Jogesh Chandra Choudhury Law College
• Kingston George Law College
• Bikash Bharati Law College

University of Gour Banga is a state university, established under the West Bengal Act XXVI of 2007. It is located in Malda district of West bengal and approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, 1956. Territorial jurisdiction of the University spreads across three districts of North Bengal namely, Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur. The University campus is in Malda, previously known as Gour.

Jadavpur University is located at Kolkata in the state of West Bengal. It is one of the leading universities in India and offers a vast repertoire of courses. The University has two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake. Leading research institutes like the Indian Association for Cultivation of Science and the Central Glass and Ceramics Research Institute have been co-ordinating with Jadavpur University in various fields.

Netaji Subhas Open University, also known as NSOU, was established with a goal to offer distance learning in Eastern part of India. Headquarters of the university are located in Woodburn Park Kolkata. NSOU has been recognized by University Grants Commission and it is a member of the Association of Indian Universities. It has been awarded with Excellence in Distance Learning award from commonwealth of learning for institutional excellence in 2006.

University of North Bengal is a state university situated near Darjeeling in West Bengal. The University was started to reach the goal of disseminating knowledge to fulfill growing socio-economic and technical manpower needs in the districts of North Bengal. The territorial jurisdiction of the university extends to the districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. Students come across all the regions of North Bengal, rest of West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar and also from SAARC nations like Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Presidency College University, Kolkata (earlier Hindu College and Presidency College) is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine India Today. Established in 1817, it is the oldest educational institution in India. It was founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and a number of other eminent personalities of Bengal, such as Raja Radhakanta Deb, Maharaja Tejchandra Ray of Burdwan, David Hare, Justice Sir Edward Hyde East, Prasanna Coomar Tagore and Babu Buddinath Mukherjee.

Rabindra Bharati University also known as Rabindra Bharati is the third university to come into existence in Kolkata. Rabindra Bharati University offers a serene atmosphere with close connections to the natural environment for study. The University was founded as a mark of tribute towards the great literary figure, Rabindranath Tagore, on the occasion of his 100th birth year.

The Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University is a private university that is administered by the Ramakrishna Mission Order of monks. Currently , it has four campuses in Belur, Coimbatore, Ranchi and Narendrapur.

It was established under section 3 of the University Grants Commission (India) Act. The university was given the status of a deemed university in July 2005. It provides courses on subjects as varied as rural and tribal development, disability management and special education, fundamental science education and Indian cultural and spiritual heritage.

The varsity’s School of Mathematical Science started its academic activities in July 2008. The classes are conducted at the main campus of the university at Belur and at Vivekananda Research Centre, the ancestral house of Swami Vivekananda in Kolkata.

Sidho Kano Birsa University is a state university established in 2010 and situated over two campuses in Purulia and Bankura, West Bengal, India. Almost all of the 30 colleges in Purulia district and Bankura district are going to be affiliated with this university. Tapati Mukherjee has been appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of the University. The focus of the University would be to promote and protect indigenous culture and language; and specially Santhali language.

The University of Burdwan occupies an exalted place amongst the universities of West Bengal. It has been awarded with 4 star status by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) to acknowledge the contribution of Burdwan University in the educational development of the state. The jurisdiction of the university spreads across five districts of West Bengal - Burdwan, Hooghly (excluding Serampore Subdivision), Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia, nourishing more than 100 colleges.

The University of Calcutta (also known as Calcutta University) is a public university located in the city of Kolkata (previously Calcutta), India, founded on 24 January 1857. It was the first modern university in the Indian subcontinent.

It is the only university in India which produced four Nobel laureates and has ranked consistently amongst the first five hundred universities in the world. The Times Education Supplement ranked the University of Calcutta as the 39th best university in the world, in the Arts & Humanities category in 2005 - it was the only university from India to find a place within top fifty in World Rankings, for that year.

The University of Kalyani was established on November 1, 1960. With 400 acres (1.6 km2) of campus it has a three-star accreditation from National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). This university is providing academic guidance and leadership to 37 affiliated colleges.

At the University of Kalyani, students can avail a wide range of courses that include PG Diploma or Certificate, under graduate, post graduate, M. Phil and Ph. D programmes. The university focuses on rural economy and the need and aspirations of the youth in the region. It promotes inter-disciplinary research and endeavors to attain balance between basic and applied research programmes.

Situated at Pundibari, about 15 km away from Cooch Behar in West Bengal, Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya is an agricultural university. The state government of West Bengal came up with the idea of establishing a satellite campus of the State Agriculture University, to do justice to the agrarian nature of this part of WB, and the low agricultural productivity due to agro-ecological conditions. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has approved the university and extended developmental support.

Vidyasagar University, located in Midnapore district of West Bengal, was established with a mission to fulfill the higher mainstream education needs of the region. The University has been named after Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, one of the most illustrious sons of Bengal, The University has been awarded with 3-star status by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan is a Central University for research and teaching in India, located in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India. In its initial years Tagore expressed his dissatisfaction with the word 'university', since university translates to Vishva-Vidyalaya, which is smaller in scope than Visva Bharati. Until independence it was a college. Soon after independence, in 1951 the institution was given the status of a university, and was renamed Visva Bharati University.

WB National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) was established in year 1999 in Salt Lake City of Kolkata. It is one of the leading law schools of India offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Since inception, it has been ranked amongst the top law schools of India. National University of Juridical Sciences has been ranked 6th amongst the Top-25 law schools in the country by India Today. The 5year law degree course offered by NUJS was proposed and implemented by the Bar Council of India (BCI).

In its short existence of about 10 years it has successfully produced brilliant lawyers. Admission is done through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), a nationwide common entrance examination. The students of NUJS have won numerous encomiums at national and international Moot Court competitions. The library of the National University of Juridical Sciences has a collection of over 14,000 titles and more than 5,000 volumes of bound periodicals. The campus of the institute is strategically located in Kolkata and is easily accessible.

West Bengal State University, located at Barasat, is a newly formed university established by an Act of the West Bengal State Legislative Assembly. It has affiliated all the colleges in the district of North 24 Parganas, which were formerly affiliated with the University of Calcutta. Campus of the University is located at Barasat Government College annexe building at Barasat in North 24 Parganas. A new campus of the University is being built at Nilgunj Road.

Established on 2nd January, 1995, West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences was started with the aim of promoting education, training and conducting research in veterinary, animal, dairy and fishery sciences. It caters to the needs of the farming community in the State of West Bengal.

West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS), located at Salt Lake in Kolkata, is a prominent name in the field of medical education. It was established by the West Bengal University of Health Sciences Act, 2002, passed by the West Bengal Legislature. Establishment of the University has helped in upgrading the level of medical education in the state by bringing together all the health and medical education related courses which were so far taught separately by different universities.

The West Bengal University of Technology commonly referred to as WBUT or UTech, is a public state university located in suburban satellite township of Salt Lake City, Kolkata, West Bengal. The university primarily provides programs in multidisciplinary fields like science, technology and management.

Funded at the initial stages of its formation by the Government of West Bengal, the UTech is set to become a "Center of Excellence" in multidisciplinary science and technology areas of topical importance, in studies and research, in addition to providing adequate facilities for the pursuit of degree and advanced-level course in management, paramedical and other professional areas through its affiliated institutions. The University has been accorded the affiliating University status with its jurisdiction encompassing the entire state of West Bengal.