St. Xavier’s Univ to introduce LL.M programme from 2025-26
Kolkata: St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) will introduce a Master of Laws (LL.M.) programme from the 2025-26 academic session. Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, the university’s vice-chancellor (V-C), said at the sixth convocation held at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre on Saturday.
Rev. Dr. James Arjen Tete, the Provincial of Calcutta Jesuit Province and chancellor of the university and the V-C presided over the ceremony, where 844 students received degrees across undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes. Among them, 102 students from the first batch of Xavier Law School (XLS) graduated. 48 students were awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals.
G Viswanathan, founder and chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), was conferred with the Honoris Causa Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) for his contributions to education, leadership, public service, and humanitarian efforts. In his acceptance speech, Viswanathan said: “Our GER is only 28 per cent, whereas in developed countries, it ranges between 60 per cent and 100 per cent. The National Education Policy (NEP) aims to increase GER to 50 per cent. It means that the government has to spend, invest more on education,” he said.
The convocation address was delivered by Justice I.P. Mukerji, Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court and an alumnus of St. Xavier’s School and College, Kolkata. He called upon the young graduates to be committed to the ideal of justice in their future lives.
The university currently offers 17 undergraduate and postgraduate courses. During his address the V-C said: “We have chosen this as our focus for the year, aiming to train every student with an interreligious outlook. Our goal is that every graduate of St. Xavier’s leaves with a deeper appreciation and respect for all religions.”
SXUK currently has 3,840 students, with 1,262 new admissions in the 2024-25 session. Additionally, 145 research scholars are pursuing PhD programmes. The university provides residential facilities for 900 students—300 boys and 600 girls.
The university is set to open a second academic building, equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, which will house the Xavier Law School (XLS) and will introduce its LL.M. programme in this new wing from the 2025-26 academic session. In 2024, the university introduced an AI-powered Learning Management System (LMS) to enhance the teaching-learning process.
SXUK also signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in 2024, including Alliance Française du Bengale; University of Sussex, Brighton (UK); India Japan Laboratory, Keio University, Japan; Daffodil International University, Dhaka; and Don Bosco International Media Academy, Paris.
