West Bengal has eighteen universities. University of Calcutta is one of the oldest and largest public universities in India and has more than 200 affiliated colleges. The Bengal Engineering & Science University and Jadavpur University are prominent technical universities. Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan is a central university. Other institutes of national importance include Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (the first IIM), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (the first IIT), National Institute of Technology, Durgapur and West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences.

Te state also has Kalyani University, Burdwan University, Vidyasagar University and University of North Bengal. They cover the educational needs at the district levels of the state.

Universities in West Bengal concentrate on providing high standard theoretical knowledge and also provide students with all necessary kind of infrastructural facilities. These opportunities allow the students to apply their acquired knowledge in professional arena.

The Visva - Bharati University, Shantiniketan, was established with an aim of spreading Indian spiritualism and philosophy to the world. It has great importance in the Indian society as the university was founded by the great poet, prophet and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore, this institution aims at conferring Indian knowledge resource to rest of the world through various academic disciplines.

Jadavpur University is recognised as the second most important university in the city that became an autonomous university in the year 1955. The well known University in Kolkata offering course in Fine Arts and Visual Arts is the Rabindra Bharati University. It was established in 1981 to commemorate the contributions made by Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar to the society.

Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences impart education in various branches of Veterinary and Animal Sciences along with Dairy Technology and Fishery Sciences. Vidyasagar University at Midnapore has introduced several exceptional courses. The interior areas of West Bengal such as districts of Nadia, Murshidabad and parts of North 24 Parganas have also been endorsed the spread of education through University of Kalyani. University of Burdwan is a teaching and affiliating institution and caters to the educational needs of over five districts, Bardhaman, Hooghly (excluding Serampore subdivision), Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia.

Universities in West Bengal have also undertaken several open education programme. Netaji Subhash Open University is one such university that follows the pattern of Indira Gandhiji National Open University (IGNOU). In addition to that University of North Bengal was set up with the aim of spreading knowledge in six North Bengal districts and also the north eastern state of Sikkim. Many Universities in West Bengal also imparts courses in research training, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral courses in engineering disciplines and non-engineering disciplines. Such institutes include Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Institute of Technology, Bengal Engineering and Science University.