University of Yangon

The University of Yangon (also known as Yangon University; Burmese: ရန်ကုန်တက္ကသိုလ်, pronounced [jàɰ̃ɡòʊɰ̃ tɛʔkəθò]; formerly the University of Rangoon and Rangoon Arts and Sciences University) is a public university in Yangon, Myanmar. Located in Kamayut Township on the southwestern bank of Inya Lake, it is the country's oldest university and celebrated its centenary in 2020.

The university originated in Rangoon College and Judson College and was established under the University of Rangoon Act 1920. Modelled in part on British universities, it became closely associated with Burmese nationalism, and student strikes at the university in 1920, 1936, and 1938 were significant events in the country's anti-colonial movement. In the 1950s, the University of Rangoon was regarded as one of the leading universities in Asia.

After the 1962 Burmese coup d'état, the university was reorganised as Rangoon Arts and Sciences University, stripped of its autonomy, and its faculties were separated into specialised institutions. Its campus remained a focal point of political protest, including during the 1962 Rangoon University protests, the U Thant funeral crisis, and the 8888 Uprising. Undergraduate programmes were suspended from 1996 for nearly two decades before the university gradually reopened after the political reforms of the 2010s.

The university now comprises 21 departments and the Universities' Research Centre, and offers undergraduate, honours, master's, diploma, and doctoral programmes. Its campus is noted for such landmarks as the Convocation Hall, Judson Church, and the historic students' union site. Among its alumni are numerous prominent political and intellectual figures, including Aung San, U Nu, Ba Maw, U Thant, and several presidents and prime ministers of Myanmar.