Andhra University was established in 1926 by the Madras University Act to serve
the entire linguistic region of Andhra as a residential teaching-cum-affiliating multidisciplinary university. The institution has Sir C.R. Reddy as its founder ViceChancellor and Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan as the second Vice-Chancellor. A
sprawling campus of 425 acres dotted with 205 buildings, vast open spaces, a brilliant
ecosystem with its rich biodiversity and magnificent Kailasa Hill as the backdrop with
mystic blue of the Bay of Bengal in its front constitute a unique environment in a city
such as Visakhapatnam.
Andhra University has delivered high quality education to contribute to the national
education mission and in many ways, it has been a part in the framework to strengthen
the country as a nation, and successful alumni, research outcome of this university were
the social model for unity of the society and a factor for growth and development of
India. The university has the distinction of having five Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
Awardees, two PadmaVibhushan Awardees, one PadmaBhushan Awardee, five
PadmaSri Awardees with the recent addition of two in 2023, amongst its alumni.
Nobel laureate Sir C.V. Raman was closely associated with laying research
foundations in Physics, and Prof. C.R.Rao, world renowned statistician, Dr. Neeli
Bendapudi, President of Penn State University, Dr G.M.Rao, Chairman GMR group,
Justice Jasti Chalameswar, former Judge, Hon. Supreme Court of India, Dr Prabha
Atreya Director , FDA, USA, and Suggu P Rao, Vice Chaiman, Bank of America, were
among the proud alumnus of AU. The University has distinguished itself by starting
many programs which are innovative and first of their kind in higher education system
of India.
At present, 58 departments, 16 specialized research centres, 188 ICT enabled
classrooms, state -of the-art of computer and GIS laboratories,76 seminar halls on
campus will give the students ample learning opportunities as it is critically related to
the University’s objective and the university is one among the 10 universities in the
country for support under “Rashtriya Uchhatar Siksha Abhiyan (RUSA).
The 98 years of glorious journey, recognizing its quality pursuits, the University
was reaccredited by NAAC with A++ Grade & Score of 3.74.
Quantum leaps for University’s aspirations for excellence during the period from 2019-23 are:
- Establishment of (16) Industry Sponsored Research Chairs from Industry and Corporates.
- AU-RINL (bioArbor) Medical Genetics Centre,
- AU-AVANTHI COE for Marine Skill development,
- AU-Saint LUKES Dolby Atmos Studio,
- AU-NASSCOM COE for IOT,
- AU_ROSYS COE for Drone Technology.
- Startup (a-Hub) and Incubation Centre, and Algorithm an AU Digital Zone with 25 smart class rooms.
- Element Pharma Incubation & Product Testing, bio-monitoring centre.
- Four (4) new sports grounds and one AU-Mahabhodi International Buddhist Meditation Centre.
Since its establishment in 1926, Andhra University follows its noble vision and
mission as inscribed in the logo, “ThejasvinaVadhitamastu ", which means," May the
Divine Light Illuminate Our Studies”. Ever since its inception in 1926 Andhra
University has an impeccable record of catering to educational needs and addressing
the sociological problems of the region. The University is relentless in its efforts in
maintaining standards in teaching and research, ensuring proper character building and
development among the students, encouraging community developmental programmes,
nurturing leadership and patriotism in young men and women and imbibing a sense of
responsibility to become good citizens of the country.
Towards the achievement of vision of the University, the following strategic goals are set:
- To encourage creation and dissemination of knowledge;
- To strive for advancement of Science and Technology by undertaking research in frontier areas;
- To promote study in areas of contemporary relevance and societal importance;
- Impart training in specialized areas that bear direct relationship to industrial establishments;
- To make special provision for the spread of Higher Education through nonformal education;
- To envisage programs for women and to the marginalized and help them join the mainstream;
- To project each of the University departments as a research Centre focused on national priorities and social needs; and
- To collaborate with other stakeholders of Higher Education and impact knowledge required to acquire gainful occupation.
In tune with NEP 2020, Andhra University refreshed its purpose especially over the
past 2 years, while aiming at generating human resources, aligning them to be socially
relevant, industry-ready, and globally connected.
Crafted by its legacy of excellence, the university has made a unique distinction by
way of establishing collaboration in allied fields with Tri Forces under an MoU with
DGR, GOI and initiated a centre for defence studies on its campus.
AU is on its journey towards a paradigm shift from student to learner, from teaching
to designing and managing learning experiences, from degree based to continuous
learning. The University, by establishing skill development centers, is synergizing
education with skill ushering in new avenues of socio-economic empowerment. In near
future universities will have to leverage advanced analytics and AI to support continual
testing and optimization of course content and curriculum delivery, that maximize
student learning and Andhra University is gearing up in this direction.