CEPT University in Ahmedabad is a specialist university focused on the human habitat, with academic strengths in architecture, planning, technology, design and related fields. Its institutional roots reach back to 1962, when the Ahmedabad Education Society established the School of Architecture with support from the Government of Gujarat. The School of Planning followed in 1972 with support from the central and state governments and the Ford Foundation, while the School of Building Science and Technology was established in 1982 and the School of Interior Design in 1991. A separate CEPT Society was formed in 1994 to manage the institution. CEPT later moved through an affiliation phase with Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University from 2002 to 2005 before being incorporated as a university by Gujarat legislation in 2005. The University Grants Commission recognized CEPT under Section 2(f) in 2007. CEPT's academic identity is strongly studio-based, emphasizing design inquiry, field engagement, making, analysis and professional practice. The university has also developed research centres, archives, laboratories, workshops and continuing professional education around the built environment. A common Foundation Program was established in 2017, reinforcing first-year skills across disciplines, and CEPT Professional Programs began in 2022 for continuing education and up-skilling. The Government of Gujarat has recognized CEPT as a Centre of Excellence, while the Government of India has also recognized it as a Centre of Excellence in Urban Planning and Design. Its compact specialist focus makes CEPT distinctive: instead of offering every discipline, the university concentrates deeply on cities, buildings, infrastructure, design, construction and the systems that shape human settlements. This long institutional evolution from a 1962 architecture school to a nationally recognized university remains central to CEPT's academic culture and reputation. The Ahmedabad campus consequently functions as both a teaching environment and a laboratory for understanding contemporary habitat challenges.