There are three groups of universities in Bangladesh : Public (government owned and subsidized), Private (private sector owned universities), and International (operated and funded by international organizations such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation). The University of Dhaka, established in 1921, is the oldest university of the country.

Universities operating in Bangladesh are required to be affiliated with the University Grants Commission, a commission which is created according to the Presidential Order (P.O. No 10 of 1973) of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

As per the UGC Bangladesh there are total 77 private universities operating in Bangladesh. Most of these universities are based in different locations such as Gulshan, Dhanmondi, Panthapath and Uttara of the capital city Dhaka. These universities focus on general studies, mixing together such areas of study as business, engineering and technology. Seven universities have specialized curricula. Two of these are focused on Islamic studies, two on agricultural science, one on healthcare science, one on veterinary medicine, and one on women's studies.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh is the statutory apex body in the field of higher education in Bangladesh. The primary objectives of the UGC are to supervise, maintain, promote and coordinate university education. It is also responsible for maintaining standard and quality in all the public and private universities in Bangladesh. The UGC assesses the needs of the public universities in terms of funding and advise Government in various issues related to higher education in Bangladesh.