The University of Delhi is truly speaking a national university. Situated in the national capital, it attracts an enormous number of students from all over India.

It also attracts a large number of students from other countries. The University of Delhi has one of the largest enrolment of foreign students among universities in India and this part of the world. The number of students from other parts of India and abroad are particularly high in the postgraduate and research programmes. The demand for residence was much more than what was available on campus. The situation was particularly acute in the case of women. In the past five years, several hostels have come up. The interesting aspect of this development is that the University tapped several sources other than the UGC for funding the construction of these hostels. The International Students' House for Women with 100 seats was established in the Dhaka campus with the University's own funds. The North Eastern Students' Hostel for Women in the Dhaka Campus and the North Eastern Students' Hostel for Men in the South Campus, each with 100 seats, were constructed with funding from the North Eastern Hill Council. An SC-ST Women's Hostel and a hostel for students of the Delhi School of Economics with 100 seats have also been set up in the Dhaka campus.

On the South Campus, another men's hostel has been established with funding from the UGC under the Ninth Plan. In the