Banaras Hindu University (BHU), situated in the holy city of Varanasi, was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in cooperation with Dr. Annie Besant, in 1916 under the act of Parliament-B.H.U Act, 1915. BHU, which is a Central University, comprises of 6 Institutes, 14 Faculties, 144 academic departments, and 4 Inter-disciplinary centers, spread over 1300 acres. The University consists of 15,000 students, 1700 teachers and 8000 non-teaching staff.
BHU was ranked 3rd among the Universities in India in 2020. According to university submissions for NIRF 2021, BHU has 10, 585 students pursuing UG programs, of which 236 students are foreign nationals.
BHU offers a host of undergraduate programs including medical and engineering. Through its various faculties, BHU offers a range of programs which caters to students learning abilities. The University along with its main campus, also offers the undergraduate courses from the following colleges: Mahila Mahavidyalaya (MMV); Arya Mahila Post Graduate College (AMPGC), Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya (VKM); Vasanta College for Women (VCW); DAV Post Graduate College (DAVPGC) and Rajiv Gandhi South Campus (RGSC).
Please refer to the table below for the important undergraduate courses offered by BHU and the intake across each program/campuses.
| Faculty of Arts | ||||
| Course | Campus | Intake | Status | Duration |
| B.A (Hons) Arts | Faculty of Arts | 765 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Mahila Mahavidyalaya | 286 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Arya Mahila Post Graduate College | 383 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya | 286 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Vasanta College for Women | 412 | Women | 3 Years | |
| DAV Post Graduate College | 309 | Co-Ed | 3 Years | |
| Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||
| Course | Campus | Intake | Status | Duration |
| B.A (Hons) Social Sciences [incl. B. A (Hons) Economics] | Faculty of Social Sciences | 573 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Mahila Mahavidyalaya | 193 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Arya Mahila Post Graduate College | 383 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya | 249 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Vasanta College for Women | 210 | Women | 3 Years | |
| DAV Post Graduate College | 326 | Co-Ed | 3 Years | |
| Faculty of Commerce | ||||
| Course | Campus | Intake | Status | Duration |
| B. Com (Hons) | Faculty of Commerce | 286 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya | 96 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Arya Mahila Post Graduate College | 96 | Women | 3 Years | |
| DAV Post Graduate College | 227 | Co-Ed | 3 Years | |
| Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Mirzapur | 114 | Co-Ed | 3 Years | |
| B. Com (Hons) Financial Markets Management | Faculty of Commerce | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Mirzapur | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years | |
| Institute of Science | ||||
| Course | Campus | Intake | Status | Duration |
| B.Sc (Hons) Maths Group | Faculty of Science | 573 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Mahila Mahavidyalaya | 96 | Women | 3 Years | |
| B.Sc (Hons) Bio Group | Faculty of Science | 383 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Mahila Mahavidyalaya | 193 | Women | 3 Years | |
| Faculty of Visual Arts | ||||
| Course | Campus | Intake | Status | Duration |
| B.F.A (Bachelor of Fine Arts) | Faculty of Visual Arts | 96 | Co-Ed | 4 Years |
| Faculty of Arts | ||||
| Bachelor of Vocation (Retail and Logistics Management) | Rajiv Gandhi South Campus | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Bachelor of Vocation (Hospitality & Tourism Management) | Rajiv Gandhi South Campus | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Bachelor of Vocation (Fashion Designing and Event Management) | Rajiv Gandhi South Campus | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Bachelor of Vocation (Modern Office Management) | Rajiv Gandhi South Campus | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Bachelor of Vocation (Food Processing & Management) | Rajiv Gandhi South Campus | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
| Bachelor of Vocation (Medical Lab. & Technology) | Rajiv Gandhi South Campus | 62 | Co-Ed | 3 Years |
Each of the courses have different eligibility for admissions. To be eligible for admissions, one must fulfil all the criteria as laid down by the respective faculties of the University.
B.A (Hons) Arts/ B.A (Hons) Social Sciences: Candidate must not be more than 22 years of age and must have passed class XII or equivalent with minimum 50% marks in aggregate.
B.A (Hons) Economics: Candidate must not be more than 22 years of age and must have passed class XII or equivalent with minimum 50% marks in aggregate along with mathematics as one of the papers.
B. Com (Hons)/B. Com (Hons) Financial Markets Management: Candidate must not be more than 22 years of age and must have passed class XII or equivalent with minimum 50% marks in aggregate with Commerce/Economics/Maths/Computer Science/Finance/Financial Markets Management as one of the subjects.
B. Sc (Hons) Maths Group: Candidate must not be more than 22 years of age and must have passed class XII or equivalent with minimum 50% marks in aggregate in the subjects Physics, Maths plus any one of the following: Chemistry, Statistics, Geology, Computer Science, Information Technology and Geography and must have passed in each of the concerned three subjects.
B. Sc (Hons) Bio Group: Candidate must not be more than 22 years of age and must have passed class XII or equivalent with minimum 50% marks in aggregate in the subjects Physics, Chemistry plus any one of the following: Biology, Geology and Geography and must have passed in each of the concerned three subjects.
B. F. A (Bachelor of Fine Arts): Candidate must not be more than 22 years of age and must have passed class XII or equivalent with minimum 50% marks in aggregate.
Bachelor of Vocation: Candidate must have passed class XII or equivalent in any stream (Science for Food Processing and Medical Lab Technology) or level 4 NSQF certificate.
Until 2020, admissions to BHU UG courses were based on Undergraduate Entrance Test (UET) conducted by the University. From the academic year 2021, admissions to UG programs offered by BHU will be based on Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET), which will replace the UET. CUCET will be a common entrance for admissions to UG programs offered by all the Central Universities in the country.
BHU being a Central University offers reservations in admissions according to central government rules.
Schedule Caste (SC): 15% of the total seats are reserved for students who belong to SC category.
Schedule Tribe (ST): 7.5% of the total seats are reserved for students belonging to ST Category.
Other Backward Classes (OBC): 27% of the total intake is reserved for students from Other Backward Classes (OBC), excluding those from creamy layer.
Economically Weaker Section (EWS): The University has reserved 10% seats for EWS category, in accordance with the directive of Ministry of Education.
Persons with Disability (PWD): 5% of the seats are reserved on horizontal basis for students from PWD category.