The Campus: Historic Charm Meets Vast Expanse

AMU's main campus is a sprawling, self-contained world within Aligarh.

• Location: Situated in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

• Campus Size & Feel: It's one of the largest residential university campuses in India, spread over a massive 1155 acres (approx. 467 hectares). The campus beautifully blends historic Indo-Saracenic architecture with modern buildings, set amidst lush greenery and wide avenues. It has a distinct, traditional, and deeply academic atmosphere. 

• Infrastructure & Facilities: As a major central university, it's incredibly well-equipped:

• Maulana Azad Library: One of the largest and most impressive university libraries in Asia, holding millions of books, manuscripts, and extensive digital resources. 

• Faculties & Departments: Numerous buildings housing its 13 faculties (like Arts, Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Law, Theology, etc.) and specialized centers.

• Laboratories & Workshops: State-of-the-art labs for sciences, engineering, medicine, and workshops for practical training. 

• Museums & Cultural Centers: Several museums (including the Sir Syed Academy Museum), art galleries, and cultural centers enrich campus life.

• Sports Complex: Excellent and extensive facilities for almost all major indoor and outdoor sports, including horse riding. 

• Residential Halls (Hostels): A defining feature – AMU is highly residential, with numerous historic 'Halls of Residence' providing accommodation and fostering a unique community life.

• Health Services: Its own large teaching hospital (JNMCH) provides medical care.

Other Amenities: Banks, post offices, shopping centers ('Tikonia'), auditoriums, canteens, guest houses – it's practically a small town.

Healthcare Hub: Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College & Hospital (JNMCH)

AMU has a very strong and integral medical wing.

• Medical College & Hospital: Yes, AMU runs the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC) and its associated large teaching hospital, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (JNMCH), both located within the university campus. 

• Scale & Services: JNMCH is a major tertiary care referral hospital for a vast region, with a bed capacity reportedly exceeding 1500 beds. It offers comprehensive healthcare services across:

• All major clinical specialties and numerous super-specialties (Cardiology, Neurology, Oncology, etc.).

• 24/7 Emergency, Trauma, and Critical Care (multiple ICUs).

• Advanced diagnostics (MRI, CT, modern labs), Blood Bank.

• State-of-the-art Operation Theatres.

• Dedicated centers/institutes (e.g., for Trauma, Cardiology, Ophthalmology).

• Dental College: AMU also has a separate, highly-regarded Dr. Ziauddin Ahmad Dental College & Hospital. 

• Educational Role: JNMC & JNMCH (along with the Dental College) are the core training grounds for AMU's MBBS, MD/MS, BDS, MDS, Nursing, and Paramedical students, offering immense clinical exposure due to the high patient volume.

Fee Structure: Central University Affordability

Being a Central University, AMU offers high-quality education at highly subsidized and extremely affordable fees, especially compared to private universities.

Campus Living: The Hall Culture

AMU is predominantly a residential university, and its hostel system ('Halls of Residence') is central to its identity.

• Accommodation: Extensive separate Halls of Residence for boys and girls provide accommodation to a vast majority of students. Each Hall has several hostels attached to it. Getting hostel accommodation is usually standard for most admitted students. 

• The Hall Vibe: Living in a Hall is an integral part of the AMU experience. Each Hall has its own traditions, common rooms (often with reading rooms, indoor games, TV), dining hall, and provost/warden system, fostering a strong sense of community and distinct sub-culture. Many Halls are historic buildings.

• Mess System: Each Hall runs its own dining hall (mess), providing meals at scheduled times. The food is typically simple, nutritious, and catered to a large student body. 

• Cost: Reflecting its Central University status, the combined cost for hostel accommodation and mess charges is extremely affordable. Expect annual charges to be remarkably low, often in the range of ₹15,000 - ₹30,000 (varies slightly by Hall and includes room rent, basic amenities, and food charges). This is a major advantage of studying at AMU.

Admissions & Career Pathways: Entry & Beyond

• Getting In:

• How: AMU conducts its own university-level entrance examinations for most of its courses (B.Tech, BA LLB, MBA, BA/BSc/BCom Hons, MA/MSc/MCom, B.Ed, etc.). These tests are highly competitive.

• Medical/Dental Exception: For MBBS/BDS, admission is strictly based on the NEET-UG rank, followed by AMU's own counselling (separate from MCC/State counselling, as AMU has specific internal/external quotas).

• PG Medical/Dental: Admission to MD/MS/MDS is based on NEET-PG/NEET-MDS ranks, followed by AMU's counselling.

• Application: Candidates apply directly to AMU through its dedicated admission portal (amucontrollerexams.com).

• Quotas: AMU has specific reservation policies, including quotas for 'Internal' students (those who passed the qualifying exam from AMU schools/university) and 'External' candidates.

• Career Launch (Placements): AMU has a central Training & Placement Office (General), and individual faculties/colleges (like ZHCET for Engineering) have dedicated placement cells.

• Focus: Placement activity is strong in Engineering (ZHCET is highly regarded), Management, Computer Science, and Law.

• Recruiters: Attracts a wide range of recruiters, including major IT companies (Infosys, Wipro, TCS), core engineering firms, consultancy groups, banks, educational institutions, and PSUs. Many alumni hold prominent positions globally, aiding placements.

• Salary Outcomes: Placements are generally good, especially for Engineering. Average packages for B.Tech often range from ₹6 LPA to ₹8 LPA, with top students securing much higher offers. MBA placements also see decent averages. Placements for other streams vary. A significant number of graduates also excel in competitive exams (Civil Services, Judiciary) or pursue higher studies abroad. 

Information for NRI / Foreign Nationals

AMU has a well-defined policy for admitting Foreign Nationals and Children of NRIs.