The University of Mysore is among the foremost institutions of its kind, and is an enduring symbol in the sphere of higher education in India. It was founded by the then Maharaja of Mysore, His Highness Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and his Dewan, the renowned engineer-statesman Sir M.Visveswaraya, on July 27, 1916. The Maharaja of Mysore became its first chancellor. The University came into existence on the basis of a report on educational progress in the United States and Australia, submitted by Messrs Thomas Denham and C.R.Reddy who visited these countries respectively.

The University of Mysore became the first University outside the domain of the English administration in India, the sixth University in India as a whole, and the first ever University in Karnataka. It is a state University of the affiliating type, and turned autonomous on March 3, 1956, when it got recognition from the University Grants Commission.

The main campus of the University, created in 1960, lies in a picturesque area of 739 acres at the western end of the Kukkarahalli Lake. The University headquarters, the Crawford Hall, is located right across the lake on the eastern end. This inspiring locale of the campus was aptly named Manasagangotri (fountainhead of the Ganges of the Mind) by the poet-laureate, Dr. K.V.Puttappa (Kuvempu). In due course, two satellite campuses were set up in response to the demands of postgraduate education from semi-urban/rural areas: Sir M.Visveswaraya Postgraduate Centre at Tubinakere in Mandya, and the Mysore University Postgraduate Centre at Hemagangotri in Hassan.

In the beginning, the entire princely state of Mysore comprising of nine districts came under the jurisdiction of the University. Now it is confined to Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, and Chamarajanagar districts. The remaining areas come under the Bangalore University (1964), Mangalore University (1980), and Kuvempu University (1987). The institution, incidentally, gave birth to one more University in 1996 when the Institute for Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education in the Manasagangotri campus, got transformed into the Karnataka State Open University.

The University now encompasses 122 affiliated colleges and 5 constituent colleges (with an aggregate of 53,000 students). In addition, the University has 37 postgraduate departments, 8 specialised research & training centres and 2 postgraduate centres that together offer about 55 regular academic programmes to 3,500 students. It also runs a number of employment-oriented diploma courses and certificate programmes. The postgraduate departments are reputed for excellence in advanced studies and research, and have attracted projects and grants worth crores of rupees from many national and international institutions.

The University has developed excellent infrastructure for curricular and co-curricular activities. The Mysore University Library offers a collection of over 8 lakh books, 2,400 journal titles and 1 lakh volumes of journals, and is well-supported by CD-ROM, Internet (14 nodes on a 64 kbps leased line), e-mail, fax and photocopy services, in addition to resource-sharing arrangements. The University Computer Centre at Manasagangotri has mainframe, LAN and Internet facilities for research, teaching and training. The main campus features an amphitheatre, an auditorium, a swimming pool, and decent hostels for women and men with modern amenities and comforts.

The University has established a rapport with many well-known and prestigious universities and institutions abroad for academic, technical and cultural exchange.
Having served the cause of higher education and research with distinction and dedication for almost the whole of the 20th century, the University of Mysore now envisages the 21st century as an era of even greater growth and success during which it will produce well-qualified and well-motivated youth to serve humanity as teachers, administrators, doctors, engineers, scientists, lawyers, social workers and in various other fields. As it gets closer to its centenary celebrations, the University looks forward to newer ways of fulfilling the vision of its founding fathers.