New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS): The Jamia Millia Islamia would soon set up a new girls' hostel courtesy a Rs.26 crore grant from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

"The UGC has sanctioned a sum of Rs.26 crores under the general development scheme for the purpose of building girls hostel in the campus. This is by far one of the biggest grants that the university has received," said a statement Thursday.

At present, the University has five girls' hostels, which have a total capacity of over 500 and offer facilities like a cyber cafe, canteen and gymnasium.

According to Jamia, under the current admission policy, 10 percent of the total seats in each course are reserved for Muslim women, ensuring a higher enrollment of girl students in the University.

"Additional hostel facilities will ensure that girl students coming from different parts of the country are able to find residential accommodation on campus," said the statement.

Jamia Millia Islamia, an institution originally established at Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) in 1920, became a central university by an act of parliament in 1988.