Punjabi University located in Patiala is one of the well-known institutions of higher education in the northern state of India, Punjab. It was established under the Punjabi University Act of 1961 on 30th April 1962. As a matter of fact it is only the second University in the world to be named after a language, the other being Hebrew University of Israel.

The University has a huge campus spread over 320 acres of land in a pollution free environment with impressive buildings. The University also has three regional centres namely The Guru Kashi Regional Centre at Bathinda, The Guru Kashi Campus at Talwandi Sabo and The Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan Institute of Advanced Studies in Urdu, Persian and Arabic at Malerkotla. Other infrastructural amenities include the library, which is an integral part of the University, which houses academic and research activities. It also has a large gymnasium and a hall for indoor games. The Youth Welfare Department of the University organizes youth activity through out the year.

The primary task of the University is to develop, promote and encourage research associated with the Punjabi language. However it has evolved into a multi- faculty educational institution with fifty-five research and teaching departments in disciplines of Humanities and in Sciences, which includes subjects like Fine Arts and Space Physics. In order to create a global awareness about the language, literature and culture, a new faculty has been started by the University, which is called the Faculty of Arts and Culture. In fact the University has established the first overseas center for spreading the language as a foreign language at Espanola, New Mexico. The University specializes in Sikh Studies and Punjabi Historical Studies and also offers Life Fellowships, Senior Fellowships and Fellowships to outstanding scholars in Punjabi language literature and culture.

The University has received the highest Five Star Level Status from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).