University of Mysore

University of Mysore

Crawford Hall, University of Mysore
Motto	न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशम्
Motto in English	Nothing is Equal to Knowledge
Type	Public
Established	1916
Chancellor	Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala
Vice-Chancellor	K.S. Rangappa
Students	10,946
Undergraduates	5,250
Postgraduates	3,623
Location	Mysore, Karnataka, India 12°18′29.45″N 76°38′18.83″E / 12.3081806°N 76.6385639°E / 12.3081806; 76.6385639Coordinates: 12°18′29.45″N 76°38′18.83″E / 12.3081806°N 76.6385639°E / 12.3081806; 76.6385639
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	UGC, NAAC, AIU
Website	www.uni-mysore.ac.in

The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. It opened on 27 July 1916. Its first chancellor was the Maharaja of Mysore; the first Vice-Chancellor was H. V. Nanjundaiah. The university became the first outside of the British administration in India, the sixth in India as a whole, and the first in Karnataka. It is a state university of the affiliating type, and became autonomous on 3 March 1956, when it gained recognition from the University Grants Commission.

The university encompasses 122 affiliated colleges and five constituent colleges (forming an aggregate of 53,000 students). In addition, the university has 37 postgraduate departments, eight specialised research and training centres, and two postgraduate centres that together offer a total of about 55 regular academic programs to 3,500 students. It also runs a number of employment-oriented diploma courses and certificate programs.

The Mysore University Library comprises over 800,000 books, 2,400 journal titles, and 100,000 volumes of journals. The main campus features an amphitheater, an auditorium, a swimming pool, and hostel accommodations for men and women. As of July 2013, the University of Mysore was accredited "Grade A" by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), while its academic staff was ranked amongst the top 5 across India.

The University of Mysore is the 6th oldest university in India and the oldest in the state of Karnataka. It was established in 1916 by then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, after two of his educational experts (C. R. Reddy and Thomas Denham) undertook a five-year study of higher education around the world. They structured the new school to encompass elements from universities that promote original research (University of Chicago), those that emphasise extending knowledge among the people (University of Wisconsin), and those that combine intellectualism with an educational system calculated to train students for political and social life (University of Oxford and Cambridge). H. V. Nanjundaiah, who played a key role in establishing the university, was elected by the Maharaja of Mysore to run the University as the first Vice-Chancellor, and he held the post until his death in 1920. Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya, then Dewan of Mysore, also played a major role in its promotion. The university was inaugurated on 27 July 1916. Maharaja College of Mysore and the Central College of Bangalore, both previously affiliated with Madras University, became part of the new university. The Act was amended in 1933 and 1939 to make the senate representative of public life and to establish the academic council responsible for the academic affairs of the university.