Jawaharlal Nehru University Alumni Network

4 mins readUpdated on Mar 9, 2023 11:54 IST

JNU has many renowned alumni in varied fields including politics, arts, cinema, public policy and so on. 

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been ranked among the best universities in India and has produced some of the country’s most celebrated leaders. JNU alumni include some of India’s most famous writers, actors, singers, politicians and public intellectuals.

The university has a large number of alumni associations that are active in various fields of interest ranging from arts and culture to science and technology to social sciences. The alumni associations are involved in many activities including organising events for students, teachers and parents. Alumni associations also have their own websites, where they share news about their activities with other alumni and with the public at large.

Top 5 courses offered by Jawaharlal Nehru University

  1. BSc Computer Science
  2. BSc Electronics & Communication Engineering
  3. BSc Mathematics
  4. BSc Physics
  5. MSc Computer Science

List of Notable Alumni of JNU

Name

Designation

About

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

Minister of External Affairs of, India

Currently, he is the minister of External Affairs of India and has also served as India's Foreign Secretary. He is also a significant counsellor to the Prime Minister. He has previously held the positions of Indian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, China, and the United States. Moreover, Jaishankar was a crucial player in the negotiations for the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal. From JNU, he earned his MPhil and PhD

Arvind Gupta 

Indian Deputy National Security Advisor 

He serves as India's Deputy National Security Advisor at the moment. Soon after it was established in 1998, he began working for the National Security Council Secretariat and remained there until 2007. He has previously worked for the Indian embassy in Moscow, London, and Ankara in a variety of positions. He earned his PhD at JNU

Harun Rashid Khan 

Deputy Governor of RBI 

Mr Khan serves as the Reserve Bank of India's Deputy Governor. He has also served as the Director of NABARD and the Executive Director of RBI (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development). He obtained his MPhil at JNU

Venu Rajamony

Press Secretary to the President of India 

Pranab Mukherjee, the former President of India, had Rajamony working for him as his Press Secretary. He had previously served as the director of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Multilateral Institutions Division at the Indian Ministry of Finance. From JNU, he received his M.A. in International Studies

Syed Asif Ibrahim 

PM’s Envoy on Countering Terrorism & Extremism

He was appointed as the Indian Prime Minister's special representative for countering terrorism and extremism in June 2015 to communicate with Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as West Asian nations. He formerly served as the Intelligence Bureau's director. He obtained his M.A. at JNU

Nirmala Sitharaman

Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs

Currently, she is the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs. In the Arun Jaitley-led Ministry of Finance, she also h the position of Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs. JNU is where she received her M.A. in Economics.

Amitabh Kant

CEO of NITI Ayog 

He is currently the CEO of NITI Ayog (National Institution of Transforming India). He had a significant role in the campaigns Amazing India and God's Own Land, which helped to establish and market Kerala State and India as top tourist destinations. Moreover, he is the driving force behind Narendra Modi's Made in India initiative. He obtained his M.A. at JNU.

Sanjaya Baru

Media advisor and chief spokesperson of former PM, Manmohan Singh

His memoir, The Accidental Prime Minister, was based on his experiences working at the PMO. From 2004 to 2008, he served as Manmohan Singh's Principal spokesperson and media advisor. He is currently the International Institute of Strategic Studies' Director for Geo-Economics and Strategy. He earned his PhD and M.A. from JNU.

Top Sectors & Companies, where JNU Alumni are working in:

- Healthcare & Life Sciences- Pfizer, Cipla, GlaxoSmithKline

- Finance & Insurance- ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Yes Bank

- IT & Software- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys Technologies Ltd., Wipro Ltd.

Q:   What is JNU famous for?
A:

Jawaharlal Nehru University is very widely known for its path-breaking research in the field of Sciences and encourages students towards transformation and innovation in various sectors corresponding to different schools such as the School of Physical Sciences (SPS), the School of Life Sciences (SLS) and the Special Centre for Microbiology among others. JNU is renowned for producing members of various committees of National and International organisations.

Check out the below infographic for verified students' reviews on Shiksha:

Q:   How is JNU for the B.Tech. Course?
A:

JNU is a good option for applying for admission to BTech courses if you did not get admitted to the IITs, NITs, or other top engineering colleges. 1. The majority of BTech programmes cost less than INR 3 Lakh. 2. The Engineering Department at JNU consists of graduates of prestigious universities such as the IITs, NITs, and IISc. 3. Its curriculum is on par with that of top engineering schools in terms of quality. 4. The curriculum is varied and comparable to that taught at the best NITs and IITs. 5. It has excellent infrastructure, including well-equipped computer labs. 6. JNU BTech graduates typically receive a salary package of around INR 6 LPA. Some issues are also there, such as: 1. The Humanities programs at JNU are better known. 2. There aren't many cultural events at Engineering schools.

Q:   Is MBA from JNU a good option?
A:

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) offers a two-year full-time MBA course at the postgraduate level. It is offered by the university through the Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management & Entrepreneurship. JNU was ranked 2nd position in the University category by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024. Talking about JNU placements, the median package offered during JNU PG 2-year placements in 2023 stood at INR 9.5 LPA. So, yes JNU is a decent option to pursue an MBA degree.

- Media & Entertainment- Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd., Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., Jio Film Company Limited (JFCL), One97 Communications Limited

Top Locations, where JNU Alumni are based at:

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public research university in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 by an act of the Government of India. The university is named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degree courses in arts, humanities, science and social sciences.

The university has over 2,650 faculty members and 10,000 students across three campuses - North Campus, South Campus and North-South corridor. It offers a variety of courses including BA (Honours), BCom/ BCA, BSc/ BE/ BPharma/ MBBS/ BDS/ MSc/ MSW etc at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

About the Author

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Q:   Is JNU MCA entrance tough?
A:

JNU MCA admission is based on a valid Central University Entrance Test (Postgraduate) CUET-PG score. CUET PG is an all-India-level entrance exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). According to test-takers, the General Test was easy and the Domain Knowledge section was moderate to tough. Although the questions were on the expected lines and within the CUET PG syllabus but according to some students, a few questions were out of the syllabus and tricky. So, the JNU MCA entrance is not very tough but can be tricky. 

Q:   Which all popular spots are there to hangout at JNU?
A:

Some popular spots to hangout at JNU are as below:

  • JNU canteen that offers both Indian and international cuisine.
  • JNU Thesis Park
  • JNU Central Library is the largest library in JNU with over two million books, journals and newspapers.
  • JNU Folklore Studies Centre has collection of over one lakh folk songs, stories, and artefacts
  • JNU Botanical Garden is a popular spot for students to relax and houses over 2,000 plant species
Q:   Is it worth pursuing B.A. (Hons) at JNU?
A:

Yes, JNU offers foreign languages under its BA (Hons) programmes such as Arabic, Chinese, French and German among others. JNU offers a three-year full-time BA (Hons) course in English. Candidates seeking admission must visit the official website of the University to apply for CUET-UG. Based on CUET-UG scores, JNU will release a merit list of selected candidates to appear for the CUET-UG counselling process for seat allotment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.

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Answered a month ago

As per the information available on the official website of the university, it does not mention BA (Hons) in Economics in the Bachelor of Arts subject. Thus, the university does not offer a BA (Hons) in the subject of economics. However, the university offers BA (Hons) courses in different subjects,

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R

Rachit Kumar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 weeks ago

JNU admission is conducted on the basis of entrance test. However, in order to be eligible, students must clear their Higher Secondary (10+2) with a minimum of 45% scoring. Hence, a scoring of above 45% will make you eligible for admission. However, in order to obtain JNU admission, students must ap

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A

Ashwin Yadav

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

I think you should opt for PWD as this will provide you more benefit in getting the job. PWD candidates get better opportunity and better job role in top companies. 

S

SK AMAN

Beginner-Level 3

Answered 4 weeks ago

Admission in JNU's B.A. (Hons.) in foreign languages through CUET depends on cut-off scores, category-wise merit list, and number of seats available. For OBC category, the cut-off is generally lower than General, but it still varies each year depending on applicants. With 247 marks, your chances wil

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M

Muskan Parbin

Beginner-Level 3

Answered a month ago

The placement trends witnessed during JNU placement over the past three years are presented below:

Particulars  

UG 3-year Placement Statistics (2022)

UG 3-year Placement Statistics (2023)

UG 3-year Placement Statistics (2024)

Median package

INR 6 LPA

INR 8 LPA

INR 6.5 LPA

Total students

353

350

357

Students placed

21

25

30

Students selected for higher studies

332

325

327

Particulars  

UG 4-year Placement Statistics (2022)

UG 4-year Placement Statistics (2023)

UG 4-year Placement Statistics (2024)

Median package

0

INR 10 LPA

INR 6.5 LPA

Total students

0

75

78

Students placed

0

24

17

Students selected for higher studies

0

6

61

Particulars  

PG 2-year Placement Statistics (2022)

PG 2-year Placement Statistics (2023)

PG 2-year Placement Statistics (2024)

Median package

INR 7.95 LPA

INR 9.5 LPA

INR 9.5 LPA

Total students

1280

1329

1432

Students placed

86

12

188

Students selected for higher studies

384

1317

1244

 

N

Nishtha Sharma

Contributor-Level 9

Answered a month ago

The number of students placed over the past three years during JNU UG placements is presented below:

Particulars  

UG 3-year Placement Statistics (2022)

UG 3-year Placement Statistics (2023)

UG 3-year Placement Statistics (2024)

Total students

353

350

357

Students placed

21

25

30

Students selected for higher studies

332

325

327

Particulars  

UG 4-year Placement Statistics (2022)

UG 4-year Placement Statistics (2023)

UG 4-year Placement Statistics (2024)

Total students

0

75

78

Students placed

0

24

17

Students selected for higher studies

0

6

61

 

S

Satyendra Rai

Contributor-Level 9

Answered a month ago

Choosing between JNU and DU for MCA depends on multiple factors such as eligibility, fees, curriculum, and career prospects. DU MCA requires a minimum of 60% in graduation (with Mathematics background) and offers a two-year, four-semester programme with a flexible fee of around INR 66,000 per year.

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H

Himanshu Singh

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Candidates can check the table below to know course-wise median package offered to UG 3-year, UG 4-year and PG 2-year:

Course  

Median Package (2022)

Median Package (2023)

Median Package (2024)

UG 3-year

INR 6 LPA

INR 8 LPA

INR 6.5 LPA

UG 4-year

0

INR 10 LPA

INR 6.5 LPA

PG 2-year

INR 7.95 LPA

INR 9.5 LPA

INR 9.5 LPA

K

Krishnendu Chatterjee

Contributor-Level 10