In the heart of Bangladesh, Universal College Bangladesh (UCB) stands as the gateway to educational excellence and boundless opportunities. As the country’s first Ministry of Education-approved international higher education provider, UCB is on a mission to redefine the scope of teaching and learning by empowering students to explore a world of possibilities from the heart of Bangladesh.

The number of students leaving Bangladesh to study at international universities is higher than ever before and growing fast every year.

UCB is the exclusive partner of Monash College, Australia, in Bangladesh. Our Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY) program enables HSC, GCSE, IB and AS students to begin their Monash journey in Bangladesh, with guaranteed entry into Monash University Australia or Monash University Malaysia upon program completion. UCB also offers pathway programs that give direct entry into the second year of Monash University degrees in Business, Engineering, and Information Technology. Our unique partnership with Monash means that UCB has already enabled students in Bangladesh to complete these world-beating programs at home while setting out on a guaranteed pathway to Monash University, one of the world’s very best higher education institutions with a wide array of world-beating undergraduate degrees.

UCB also has an exclusive partnership with the prestigious University of London (UoL) which allows us to offer our students full Bachelor of Science honours degrees under the academic direction of the famous London School of Economics (LSE). UCB gives students the unrivalled opportunity to study the LSE curriculums for our three-year degrees in Accounting & Finance, Business & Management,

Economics, and Finance. We also offer the Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences (CHESS) which gives students who have studied for HSC, in Bangla or English versions, a unique pathway to complete their UoL degrees in three years without the need for any additional qualifications. We launched our UoL degrees with a visit from Dr James Abdey of the LSE and our first batch of students began their international education journey right here in Gulshan this October. Our first students will finish their degrees in May 2026 and then they will have the choice of attending their graduation ceremony in Dhaka or in London, and I look forward to being at both!

All of our UCB programs are taught by internationally qualified academics who use small group teaching and the most modern techniques to give our students individual attention and the very best possible learning experience. Our team at the College goes above and beyond by offering a range of support services, extra-curricular activities, academic advising, and pastoral guidance. Studying at university is a challenge for any young person and because UCB students are able to stay with their parents the extra time at home can be really beneficial. An added benefit is that UCB tuition fees are significantly lower than those of international universities. By studying in Bangladesh families also make big savings on the costs of travelling and living overseas, and this makes global education more affordable and accessible to all our students. Of course, if students do eventually decide to go abroad to continue their studies we help them make the transition by providing test preparation, college application assistance, visa processing, and financial aid counseling. As a professor, you would expect me to tell you that education is a good thing in itself, but at UCB we are also focused on ensuring that our graduates will have successful work careers. We are developing a range of job placement opportunities for our students at some of the most reputed local and multinational companies. Through our corporate tie-ups we are able to show some of the best employers in Bangladesh how an international education gives our students a head start in the job market.

At UCB, we have ambition and we can promise very bright prospects. We are planning a new campus at STS Knowledge City, a 15-acre fully integrated learning and living centre, with world-class facilities for over 10,000 students. We are already in advanced discussions with more top ranked global universities, and we have plans to introduce new programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and

Maths (STEM), and in design, fashion, logistics, hospitality and many other disciplines that will be essential to the economic development and success of Bangladesh. As part of these initiatives we will be introducing new postgraduate programs and from next year we will also be bringing the very best in global executive and professional development programs to Dhaka.

Whether it’s academic advice, personal counseling, or career guidance, UCB’s services are designed to help students succeed on academic and personal levels. If you would like to know more about us, the College’s programs, our admissions process, and support services, please visit our website at www.ucbbd.org, email us at [email protected], or come to see us at our state-of-the-art campus located at SA Tower, 1 Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka 1212. We’re here to help you to follow your international education dreams here in Bangladesh.

Published in: The Business Standard