Chaudhary Devi Lal University, named after Chaudhary Devi Lal, the former Deputy Prime Minister of India was established by the Government of Haryana on April 5, 2003. The University, located at Sirsa 256 km from Delhi and 285km from Chandigarh, has a sprawling campus of 348 acres (1.4 km²) on the Barnala Road. The University has 16 academic departments, which offer 21 career oriented and specialized courses to the students. It also offers job-oriented courses through distance education.