Bangladesh Medical University

Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) is a public postgraduate medical university in Dhaka, formerly known as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. It is a different kind of institution from a general university: it trains doctors who already hold a medical degree, and it oversees a large group of affiliated medical colleges and specialised institutes. The main campus is in Shahbag, on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue.

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, BMU sits in the 1201-1400 band, which is the 13th position among Bangladeshi institutions listed. It has no QS World University Rankings entry in Ulkaa's data.

Ulkaa Edu Rank 2027 places it in the 51-75 band, with a national position of 61. That position is computed from the published methodology (version 2027.1), and indicator coverage for BMU is 70.2%. Its 2023 first-year intake was recorded at 742. Because BMU is a postgraduate and research-heavy institution, a ranking built for general universities captures only part of what it does.

The institution began as the Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research in 1965, housed in the former Hotel Shahbag. It was renamed in 1998 after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and on 13 April 2025 the government changed the name to Bangladesh Medical University. Wikipedia and Ulkaa both record 1965 as the year of establishment. The 1998 renaming came through Act 1 of 1998, which set the institute up as a university. Since 2010 dozens of medical colleges and specialised hospitals have become affiliated with it.

Admission is to postgraduate programmes, so applicants need a medical degree and meet the eligibility rules the university sets for each course. Seats, specialty lists and test dates are announced in the university's own admission notices, and they change from session to session. Check the official website at bmu.ac.bd for the current circular before preparing an application.

BMU offers postgraduate qualifications: MD, MS, MPhil, MPH and diploma degrees across many specialties. Its teaching is organised into eight faculties: Medicine, Surgery, Basic Science and Para Clinical Science, Dentistry, Paediatrics, Medical Technology, Nursing, and Preventive and Social Medicine.

On research, OpenAlex data used by Ulkaa shows 5,893 works over the five years to 2025, 15,255 citations in that window, and an h-index of 109 in 2026. The university reported 521 teachers in 2023, of whom 47 held a PhD.

The campus in Shahbag is an urban one, made up of five multi-storey buildings that hold academic, clinical and residential space. A 750-bed super-specialised hospital was set up on the grounds in 2022. Because students are practising doctors, campus life revolves around clinical training, ward work and examinations more than clubs and events.