The University of Mysore was established on July 27, 1916. It is the sixth oldest in the country and the first in the state of Karnataka. Also, in a sense it is the first university of the country to be established outside the limits of the British India. The university was founded as a result of the efforts of the benevolent and visionary Maharaja of erstwhile Princely State of Mysore His Highness Shri Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar – IV (1884-1940), and the then Diwan Sir M. Visvesvaraya (1860-1962). It was the first University to be accredited by NAAC in 2000 with Five Star Status. The university is now ranked 36th in the India Rankings 2017, NIRF-MHRD, Government of India.

The University is located in Mysuru, the cultural centre of Karnataka. Mysuru was the capital of the Wadiyar dynasty. It is a city of palaces, temples, and gardens. Being a splendid tourist centre with historical monuments and unique architecture, it is famous for silk, sandalwood oil and artifacts of ivory and sandalwood. The city has salubrious climate throughout the year. It is about 140 kms south west of Bengaluru, the State capital, and is well connected by rail, road and air.

Vision
To aspire to become a world-class University by tapping human resources from all sections of society by offering them opportunities to learn across disciplines, and to build human capital, men and women of character and competence capable of being leaders of tomorrow and solving problems arising out of fast changing realities – global and local.

Mission
Built on a great legacy inherited from our founding fathers, our mission is to create an environment of stimulating intellectual dialogue across disciplines and harvest knowledge with a cutting-edge through high quality teaching, research, and extension activities leading to the generation of students who would provide leadership, vision and direction to society.

Goal
Our goal is to realize this vision by 2025. Our strategy is to develop innovative programmes in basic and emerging disciplines in a phased manner and to update them periodically so as to keep ourselves on track and on time. Our commitment is to involve the faculty and students in interactive learning environment both within and outside the University through contextual and experiential programmes so that they would be builders of a worldwide-network of knowledge-sharing and excel in their performance with a winning edge in the wider context of globalization.

Motto
The motto of the University is well engraved on its emblem: (depicting the bird ‘Gandabherunda’ flanked on either side by lion-elephant Sharaba – a mythical creature believed to be stronger than lion and the elephant and the upholder of righteousness) that “Nothing is equal to knowledge” (“Na hi Jnanena Sadrisham” - an excerpt from Rigveda) and “I always uphold the truth” (Satyamevoddaharamuaham). Thus the greatness of knowledge and the commitment to adhere to truth are the ideals, the University is pursuing all through its existence, and in its path of success.

Major Milestones and Signposts
Ranked 54th (University Category) and 80th (overall category) in India Rankings 2019 conducted by NIRF, MHRD, Govt. of India.

Ranked 9th (State Universities) and 15th (India Universities)in India’s Best Universities 2017 survey conducted by Hansa- The WEEK National Ranking 2017.

University of Mysore was the first University in the State that was accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in the year 2000 with Five Stars Status. Second cycle of re-accreditation by NAAC in 2006 with A+ Level.

Third -time accredited by NAAC with a score of 3.47 on a 4 -point scale at A+ , preparation for the 4th cycle of re-accreditation is underway

The University of Mysore (UoM) is Approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

Recognized by Govt. of India as an “Institution of Excellence (IOE)” with a grant of Rs. 100 crores (in 2008)

(Recognized as University with Potential for Excellence (UPE) in 2009 by UGC with a grant of 50 crores in (2012)

Recognized Centre of Excellence in Potential for Excellence in a Particular Area (CPEPA) and was awarded grant of Rs. 9.5 crores which is being renewed in 2016

Identified as one of the top 20 universities in Scientific publications and was awarded Rs.9.00 Crore under PURSE Scheme, and renewed for 2nd Phase in 2016 awarded 8.5 crore.

Identified by Government of Karnataka (2009) as Innovation University

The overall h-index (Web of Science) for published research: 42 with 3609 publications since 1986. Some faculty members of the University have a h-index of 18 and above.

Institutional Evolution
The University was granted autonomy in 1956. Originally the territorial jurisdiction of the University consisted of nine districts of Karnataka State. With the creation of Bangalore University in 1964, Mangalore University in 1980 and Kuvempu University in 1987, the territorial jurisdiction of the University of Mysore is now confined to the four southern districts of the State, viz, Chamarajanagara, Hassan, Mandya and Mysuru.